The 50th Aboriginal Justice Forum (AJF) held in Shepparton (Hume region) on Thursday 15 and Friday 16 March 2018. 

Overview of presentations and discussions

  • Highlighting achievements and initiatives in the Hume region
  • An introduction to Jill Gallagher AO, the recently appointed Victorian Treaty Advancement Commissioner and an overview of the role of the Commission
  • The Commonwealth Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse and the exclusions not named in the Bill, that will impact a number of Aboriginal men and women who have been imprisoned for 5 years or more or perpetrated a sexual offence.
  • The key findings and recommendations of the Aboriginal Justice Agreement - phase three (AJA3) Evaluation Report
  • An update of the Victorian Aboriginal Affairs Framework (VAAF) Refresh
  • The final Aboriginal Justice Agreement - phase four (AJA4) and the next steps towards the launch.
  • Key messages from the about Aboriginal student engagement and performance in schools from the Department of Education and Training’s Marrung implementation report.
  • Highlights of the Alcohol and Other Drug rehabilitation pathway into Wulgunggo Ngalu depicted in a DVD

Community raised issues

On the afternoon of day one, members of the local Aboriginal community joined AJF members to raise justice related issues concerning them and have these responded to by the responsible AJF member. Some of the issues raised by Community members were:

  • The negative implications for young people who are identified as Aboriginal in the media when they have allegedly offended.
  • Children and young people in residential care and poor attendance at school.
  • Poor police treatment towards Community members in Shepparton.
  • Frustration with the Child Protection system.
  • The need for an Alcohol and Drug detox and rehabilitation facility and one that is able to respond to the needs of children and young people.

Initiatives

AJF members discussed a number of initiatives in place in the region to address some of these issues such as:

  • Aboriginal Community Liaison Officer based with the Shepparton Police
  • Aboriginal Culcha Camps for Victoria Police
  • options for making complaints about Police including to the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission
  • Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC)
  • Police Professional Standards Command
  • Department of Education and Training’s Navigator program and flexible learning options

Community members were put in touch with the relevant and responsible AJF member at the Community Forum. 

Who to contact for more information

Ricky Christian
Hume Regional Aboriginal Justice Advisory Committee (RAJAC) Executive Officer

Phone: 0472 559 726
Email: Ricky.Christian@justice.vic.gov.au (External link)

 

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