Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to amend general business notice of motion No. 389 standing in my name for today relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander incarceration.

Leave granted.

I move the motion as amended:

That the Senate—

(a) notes the release of the report, Indigenous incarceration: Unlock the facts, produced by international accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers in collaboration with the Change the Record campaign;

(b) acknowledges the important contribution it makes in highlighting the social and economic benefits of closing the gap on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander incarceration rates;

(c) acknowledges that:

(i) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men are 11 times more likely to be incarcerated than the rate of the general male population,

(ii) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are 15 times more likely to be incarcerated than the rate of the general female population,

(iii) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth are 25 times more likely to be incarcerated than the rate of non-Indigenous youth, and

(iv) on any given day, there are approximately 10 000 Aboriginal adults, and 500 Aboriginal youth in prison;

(d) acknowledges the growing incarceration rates of our First Peoples is shameful;

(e) notes that the report, Indigenous incarceration: Unlock the facts, calls for justice targets as part of the solution to reduce Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander incarceration;

(f) notes that many other reports, Aboriginal leaders and communities have called for justice targets to be rolled out as part of the approach to reduce Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander incarceration; and

(g) calls on the Federal, state and territory governments to develop and implement justice targets at the first opportunity as part of closing the gap efforts.

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is leave granted? Leave is granted for one minute.

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Commonwealth government notes the release of the Indigenous incarceration Unlock the facts report. However, the elements that make up the criminal justice system, including justice targets, are the responsibility of state and territory governments. It is a priority for the government to work with the states and territories to drive down Indigenous offending, victimisation and incarceration. COAG has already agreed to consider renewed targets under Closing the Gap in the coming year. The government recognises that the Northern Territory, Victoria and South Australia have already set various targets in relation to justice outcomes and commends these jurisdictions for taking this action. We continue to encourage states and territories that have not yet set justice targets to do so. Where individual states and territories commit to justice targets, the Commonwealth will work collaboratively to identify practical actions that will help achieve the targets.

Question agreed to.

Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I, and also on behalf of Senators Brown, Fierravanti-Wells, Gallagher, Gichuhi, Hanson-Young, Hume, Lambie, Kakoschke-Moore, Kitching, Lines, McAllister, McCarthy, McKenzie, Moore, Nash, O'Neill, Pratt, Polley, Reynolds, Rice, Rhiannon, Ruston, Singh, Urquhart and Wong, move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes the report, Over-represented and overlooked: the crisis of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women's growing over-imprisonment, which was released in May 2017;

(b) acknowledges the harrowing statistics in the report that:

(i) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women make up only 2 per cent of the adult female population, but 34 per cent of women in prison, and

(ii) some 80 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women behind bars are mothers; and

(c) asks for Federal leadership to develop a national action plan to address the crisis of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women’s growing over-imprisonment.

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is leave granted? Leave is granted for one minute.

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government notes the report. It is a priority for the government to work with the states and territories to drive down Indigenous offending, victimisation and incarceration. However, the elements that make up the criminal justice system are the responsibility of state and territory governments. The Commonwealth's focus will continue to be on addressing the underlying factors that lead to offending and high rates of contact with the justice system by Indigenous Australians. In 2016-17 the government invested approximately $260 million through the Indigenous Advancement Strategy—Safety and Wellbeing Program to improve community safety and wellbeing. We are supporting the Redfern alliance to work with Indigenous stakeholders on a national response to the important issue of Indigenous incarceration.

Question agreed to.