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ALS calls for Justice Targets be incorporated into Closing the Gap
by Kate Finlayson 13 February 2014
T
he Federal Government today delivered it’s 6th Closing the Gap statement reviewing Aboriginal disadvantage against measurable targets including health and education, but failed to announce the inclusion of Justice Targets to tackle the mass imprisonment of Aboriginal adults and young people in Australia.
Is this closing the gap? Image: Julie Dowling
The Prime Minister Tony Abbott today said we’re on track to meet some of the targets, but not others. Phil Naden, CEO of Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT) says many of the current targets will be hard to achieve until we include Justice Targets in Closing the Gap. “We were very surprised to hear there was no bipartisan commitment today towards incorporating Justice Targets into the Government’s Closing the Gap
strategy,” said Mr Naden. “This is despite the fact that in 2013, prior to the Federal election, both sides of government expressed a commitment to incorporating Justice Targets into Closing the Gap. “Today, Australia’s national shame is the mass imprisonment of Aboriginal people, particularly young people. Australia’s Aboriginal children are detained at the world’s highest rates.
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“More than half of the gap existed in Closing the young people in detention Gap, a Parliamentary inquiry today (over 52%) are in 2011 recommended the Aboriginal, and most are inclusion of Justice Targets unsentenced. into the Closing the Gap “In fact, as soon as they’re strategy, saying ‘these targets put in detention they’re should then be monitored and getting poorer outcomes, in reported against.’[i] health, education and job And more recently in prospects. 2013, prior to the Federal “Ánd while Aboriginal election, there was bipartisan adults are jailed at 14 times government support for the the rate of non-Aboriginal inclusion of Justice Targets people, Aboriginal young into Closing the Gap: people are jailed at 31 times Labor - ‘To further drive for Aboriginal juveniles. our efforts to close the gap, This is so unacceptable, it’s Labor is committing to unbelievable. develop a new justice target “ALS calls for the to drive national effort to national adoption of justice improve community safety targets, which commits all for Indigenous Australians. governments in a multiThe new target will help decade approach to reducing to focus national effort Aboriginal and Torres Strait Phil Naden Phil Naden, CEO of Aboriginal Legal Service to address high rates of Islander mass imprisonment offending and victimisation in (NSW/ACT). Image: Keith Saunders. as part of the Closing the Gap Indigenous communities.’ Islander men, women and children strategy. Coalition – ‘Reducing the today in Australia’s prisons and “We need justice targets incarceration rate of Aborigines detention centres. to address the horrific mass would be added to the official “Let’s give Aboriginal people, imprisonment of Aboriginal people and particularly Aboriginal young Closing the Gap targets under a in the criminal justice system. Coalition government, as part of people, an advantage across all “Disadvantage robs Aboriginal a major rethink of the goals and Closing the Gap strategies by people of a long healthy life and the including Justice Targets in Closing measures needed to end indigenous incarceration of Aboriginal people disadvantage.’ the Gap to ensure Governments affects all targets. “Just like the government, we are accountable and measurable in “Justice Targets must be part of agree there needs to be Justice their strategies to reduce the mass the government’s Closing the Gap Targets included in the Closing the imprisonment rates of Aboriginal framework and reporting. people, particularly young people,” Gap strategy to ensure the mass “Justice Targets will assist imprisonment of Aboriginal men, said Mr Naden. the Government of the day to women and children in Australia Justice targets are not a new stay focused and accountable on ends immediately, and we call on concept. implementing measures to reduce the government to include Justice Following a national discussion the horendous incarceration rates Targets as a matter of urgency,” in 2010 where it was realised a of Aboriginal and Torres Strait said Mr Naden.
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