Although the ACT has the lowest rate of imprisonment of any Australian jurisdiction, and one of the lowest rates of Indigenous imprisonment, Indigenous people are still significantly overrepresented in the […]

This report highlights the ACT’s progress on Closing the Gap on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander disadvantage. It has been long recognised that the Council of Australian Governments’ initiative to […]

In Canberra, members of the Indigenous population are five times more likely to be affected by family violence than the non-Indigenous population. The purpose of this study is to examine […]

The Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention and Legal Service Victoria (FVPLS) released a series of three policy papers directed at drawing focus to Aboriginal women and children as victims and survivors […]

This paper focuses on the inability of the legal system to adequately address Indigenous domestic and family violence issues. Three key areas of focus to improve issues for Indigenous people […]

This document sets out the NSW Aboriginal Justice Plan for 2004-2014, which aims to reduce the over representation of Aboriginal people in the criminal justice system and to make Aboriginal […]

The Aboriginal Justice Advisory Council is leading the development of an Aboriginal Justice Plan for New South Wales, which will aim to reduce the over representation of Aboriginal people coming […]

This report contains the Aboriginal Justice Advisory Council’s assessment of the implementation of the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. It discusses the structure of recommendations, […]

The Aboriginal Justice Agreement gives formal recognition to the real and honest partnership between the Attorney General and the Aboriginal Justice Advisory Council in working to reduce Aboriginal peoples involvement […]

This database contains summaries of reports of Australian criminal law cases that consider Aboriginality – the Aboriginal background of the defendant, their cultural practice or the customary law of their […]

Australia’s criminal justice system is, for the most part, the model inherited from the British justice system. This model consistently yields high rates of recidivism by Aboriginal and Torres Strait […]

This chapter focuses on the adequacy of data relating to Indigenous people generated during each phase of the criminal justice system. The chapter discusses, and notes data inadequacies in, the […]

In September 2002, the South Australian Coroner brought down his findings in the inquests into the deaths of Kunmanara Ken, Kunmanara Hunt and Kunmanara Thompson, three young Anangu men who […]

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner is required to report annually to the Attorney-General regarding the exercise and enjoyment of human rights by Australia’s Indigenous peoples. The […]

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner is required to report annually to the Attorney-General regarding the exercise and enjoyment of human rights by Australia’s Indigenous peoples. The […]

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner is required to report annually to the Attorney-General regarding the exercise and enjoyment of human rights by Australia’s Indigenous peoples. The […]

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner is required to report annually to the Attorney-General regarding the exercise and enjoyment of human rights by Australia’s Indigenous peoples. The […]

Based on a report prepared by Judy Atkinson and Caroline Atkinson, this chapter provides a broad overview of the current situation regarding family violence in Indigenous communities from both a […]

Family violence and abuse is causing untold damage to the cultures and fabric of Indigenous societies. Like all Australians, Indigenous peoples are entitled to live their lives in safety and […]

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner is required to report annually to the Attorney-General regarding the exercise and enjoyment of human rights by Australia’s Indigenous peoples. The […]

This report has been prepared as a result of the findings of a discussion paper, ‘Criminal justice and Indigenous people with cognitive disabilities’, developed in 2004 for the Aboriginal and […]

Family violence and sexual assault are enormous problems in remote New South Wales. This article explores some of the difficulties that face Indigenous women in these areas when trying to […]

The Closing the Gap Clearinghouse was established by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) to bring together evidence-based research on overcoming disadvantage for Indigenous Australians. This paper provides policy makers […]

The Closing the Gap Clearinghouse was established by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) to bring together evidence-based research on overcoming disadvantage for Indigenous Australians. The Clearinghouse provides access to […]

This report provides information on national data and some state-based data collections on violence in Australia. These collections contain information on the extent of violence, the underlying factors associated with […]

Discusses the ways in which the Australian Law Reform Commission engages with Indigenous stakeholders and outlines how Indigenous people can be more actively involved in the process of law reform.

The report looks at the group of offenders that cause the most costs to the community. Chronic offenders, predominantly those early onset or adolescent onset offenders, are a small proportion […]

While police cautioning and police referred conferencing are widely used throughout Australia, there has been little research on their impact on Indigenous young people. Limited evidence suggests that Indigenous young […]

Indigenous over-representation in the justice system is a challenge facing Australian society. Recently, it has been suggested that increased use of diversionary processes could reduce Indigenous over-representation. Reported in this […]

This report sets out the evidence supporting the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) Report Card on the wellbeing of young Australians. The ARACY Report Card is unique, […]

The Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) commissioned the Allen Consulting Group to produce this report which takes a systems-based approach to child protection by examining the factors […]

In June 2007, the Prime Minister of Australia and the Minister for Indigenous Affairs declared a ‘national emergency’ with eleven measures aimed at combating child abuse and dysfunction in Indigenous […]

The notion of ‘closing the gaps’ has attracted considerable attention in Australia during the early days of the new Rudd government elected in November 2007. This is partly because while […]

This report is based on research carried out during 2005 and 2006 by Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) in consultation with Native American and Alaska Native organizations and individuals. The research […]

Having completed his tour of Australian in August 2009, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Indigenous peoples has submitted his preliminary findings to the […]

The life expectancy of Indigenous Australians is about 17 years lower than that of the general Australian population. Using Australian Bureau of Statistics mortality data, this study, which aimed to […]

Between 1999 and 2003 traffic and vehicle regulatory offences accounted for 11.9 per cent of recorded offences among Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara, a remote Aboriginal (APY) community in South Australia. The […]

This paper explores the late-modern shifts in the characterisation of Indigenous offenders in sentencing judgments and legislation in New South Wales and the Northern Territory. It considers whether David Garland’s […]

Whilst sexual assault and child abuse within the Northern Territory Aboriginal communities receives the most attention from the media and from government programs, it is the lower level-type offending that […]

This study examines the incidence of Indigenous driving offending in the Northern Territory since 2006 and assesses the effectiveness of law enforcement in addressing this crime. The research method has […]

Following the intrusion of non-Indigenous police officers, including a female officer, on a restricted Walpiri ceremony ground in Lajamanu (northern Tanami Desert, Northern Territory), this article highlights the conflict between […]

This report provides detail from a review of the literature regarding the prevention of and response to family violence with a focus on engaging Aboriginal men in remote communities. The […]

This report evaluates the Koori Cognitive Skills Program (CSP) for Corrections Victoria. Research has shown that people who get into trouble with the law often have difficulty solving problems in […]

Aboriginal women comprise almost 50% of all women in custody, and in 1987, Aboriginal women were the victims of 79% of all chargeable homicides in the Northern Territory. They have […]

This presentation contains a series of talking points discussing childhood trauma, including abuse and neglect, and ways of healing. These are the PowerPoint slides used as the basis of a […]

This article considers the experience of removal and institutional and out-of-home care, with a particular focus on the removal of Indigenous Australian children. Reports and legal actions since the 1997 […]

Contrary to popular belief, the majority of Indigenous Australians live in cities and towns rather than remote areas of the country, yet remain segregated and ‘invisible’ from the daily lives […]

This directory has identified evaluations of Indigenous programs undertaken by Australian Governmental departments and key external evaluators. It captures any significant Indigenous-specific evaluations or mainstream evaluations with a prominent Indigenous […]

The Western Australian Aboriginal Justice Agreement is a partnership framework jointly developed by the Department of Justice, The Department of Indigenous Affairs, the Department of Community Development, the Western Australia […]

This publication describes a framework developed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), in conjunction with stakeholders, to measure the wellbeing of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The […]

This is a comprehensive statistical overview, largely at the national level, of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and welfare. Focussing on topics considered important for the health of Australia’s […]

This snapshot presents an overview of Indigenous peoples’ experiences of law and justice as reported in the 2002 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS) as well as […]

In 2008, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS) collected information about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples aged 15 years and over; for the first time […]

This publication contains experimental estimates and projections of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) population of Australia and the states and territories for 30 June 1991 to 30 June […]

This publication presents summary results from the 2008 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS). The survey was conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) from August […]

All Australian Governments agree that customary law in no way justifies, authorises or requires violence or sexual abuse against women and children. This media release announces that the Commonwealth is […]

The Family Relationships Commission (FRC), a project of the Cape York Welfare Reform, holds conferences with individual community members who are welfare recipients and who have been identified as failing […]

The suicide rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for the period 2001-2010 were twice that of non-Indigenous Australians (ABS, 2012). The high rates of suicide among Aboriginal and […]

In May 2008 the Government established an eleven-member national council which was tasked was to provide the Government with advice on the development of an evidence-based national plan of action […]

This report provides a summary of the feedback received in community and public meetings on building stronger futures for Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory. Most legislated Northern Territory Emergency […]

The Closing the Gap Prime Minister’s report 2014 outlines the commitments made by the new government. This has included: consolidating the administration of Indigenous programs from eight government departments into […]

This second edition aims to continue to inform mental health policy and practice in Australia to the benefit of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The book is intended for […]

In this third annual report on closing the gap in Indigenous disadvantage, the Government states that its agenda is driven by three important imperatives: to overcome decades of under-investment in […]

This is the second report on the Australian Government’s program to reduce the gaps in life opportunities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Progress is reported against the targets relating to […]

This discussion paper, from the Australian Government, sets out priorities for building on the work of the National Territory Emergence Response (NTER) and identifies directions for reform, particularly to improve […]

Shows some progress on targets to reduce indigenous disadvantage: with improved access to pre-schools for children in remote communities, better results for indigenous students in year 12 and a decrease […]

This is the first report on progress towards the six targets set by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) to reduce the gap in life opportunities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous […]

Highlights the significant improvements in the area of child mortality; records strong improvements for Indigenous children in National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy results; acknowledges that a partnership approach […]

The Government’s response sets out where action has already been taken against specific recommendations of the ‘Doing time – time for doing’ report (the Report) and provides an indication of […]

Provides data collected between June and December of 2010 on the Northern Territory Emergency Response to reports of abuse and neglect against children, represented in ‘The Little Children are Sacred’ […]

Provides data collected between June and December of 2010 on the Northern Territory Emergency Response to reports of abuse and neglect against children, represented in ‘The Little Children are Sacred’ […]

Provides data collected between June and December of 2009 on the Northern Territory Emergency Response to reports of abuse and neglect against children, represented in The Little Children are Sacred […]

Provides data collected between June and December of 2009 on the Northern Territory Emergency Response to reports of abuse and neglect against children, represented in The Little Children are Sacred […]

The Closing the Gap in the Northern Territory National Partnership Agreement ceased on the 30 June 2012. This is the last Monitoring Report published under this agreement. It provides data […]

This Closing the Gap in the Northern Territory Monitoring Report brings together performance information for each ‘Closing the Gap’ measure from 31 December 2011 to 1 July 2012. However, in […]

This research paper evaluates Australian attitudes to domestic violence. It was commissioned by the Australian Government to inform the development of a prevention of domestic violence campaign. The report finds […]

This is the seventh Closing the Gap Report produced since targets were set by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in 2008. The report shows that although there has been […]

This report outlines the work that the National Children’s Commissioner undertook in 2014-15 to promote discussion and awareness of matters relating to the human rights of children and young people […]

This chapter provides an overview of issues facing Indigenous women in corrections. It presents a statistical overview of incarceration and recidivism rates for Indigenous women on a national and state […]

This timeline details the history of forcible removal of Indigenous children from their families. Information is primarily taken from the findings of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal […]

While there was some general positive response to the level of political and resource commitment to addressing Indigenous health issues that the Northern Territory Emergency Response represented, many were concerned […]

This brief paper suggests that in a crime prevention context, mentoring is often directed towards young people already involved in the criminal justice system or ‘at-risk’ of engaging in criminal […]

This report draws upon the latest available data to provide a contemporary perspective of the health and welfare of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, presenting a statistical picture of […]

This Strategic Plan outlines the priorities of the National Advisory Group on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Information and Data in the period 2006-2008 for improving the quality and […]

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people are substantially over-represented in the juvenile justice system in Australia, and this over-representation is highest in the most serious processes and outcomes – […]

This bulletin examines the numbers and rates of young people who were under youth justice supervision in Australia during 2014-15 because of their involvement or alleged involvement in crime. It […]

This report looks at the complete youth justice supervision history of 24,102 young people in Australia, who experienced supervision, both in the community and in detention, between 1 July 2000 […]

In 2017, the Attorney-General of Australia launched an inquiry into the reasons for over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres St Islander people in prison in Australia. The Law Reform Commission developed […]

While this is an older report it remains a key reference point. It identifies numerous risk factors for Indigenous youth and their contact with the legal system in all forms. […]

This is the summary of the final report produced into the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres St Islander people in prison in Australia. The Law Reform Commission developed recommendations for reforms, […]

The National Drug Strategy 2004-2009 provides a framework for a coordinated, integrated approach to drug issues in the Australian community. This document sets out the objectives and priority areas of […]

The Australian Government has funded Indigenous-specific legal assistance services since 1971. State and territory governments are responsible for the operation, and funding, of the law and justice sector in their […]

Under its Law and Justice Program, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Services (ATSIS) provides legal aid to Indigenous Australians, as well as preventative and diversionary services, support for the resolution […]

This report presents the results of a consultation conducted by the Australian National Council on Drugs (ANCD) on behalf of the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs […]

The Department of Health and Ageing engaged the National Indigenous Drug and Alcohol Committee (NIDAC) to conduct six targeted community consultations to inform the development of the National Aboriginal and […]

The committee was established to report on the effectiveness of Australian Government policies following the Northern Territory Emergency Response, specifically on the state of health, welfare, education and law and […]

The Senate Select Committee on Regional and Remote Indigenous Communities was established in March 2008 and is required to report to the Senate twice yearly until the end of the […]

This report summarises the work of the Committee on regional and remote Indigenous communities. It focuses upon Western Australia and New South Wales and examines the justice system, a variety […]

The Senate Select Committee on Regional and Remote Indigenous Communities was established in March 2008 and is required to report to the Senate twice yearly until the end of the […]

The Shepparton Koori Court has just completed its first two years of operation, and has been subject to a high level of scrutiny and observation for the purposes of evaluation. […]

Aboriginal Sentencing Courts are not generally understood as ‘therapeutic jurisprudence’. This essay explores a particular Aboriginal Sentencing Court – the Shepparton Koori Court – from its establishment through its first […]