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The National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples (Congress) welcomed the Parliament’s bi-partisan support for closing the life expectancy gap for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples but said there is much work still to do. Congress Co-Chair, Jody Broun said parliamentary addresses by the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader also laid the ground work to achieve Constitutional recognition.
Read MoreCongress welcomed recent questions raised by a Senate Scrutiny Committee over unanswered issues contained in the Stronger Futures legislation introduced to continue the intervention in the Northern Territory. The Senate’s Scrutiny of Bills Committee examines proposed laws for inappropriately applied power or infringing on rights and liberties. In a digest released this week the Committee has asked the Government to explain and justify why some measures are appropriate.
Read MoreStatement from the Co-Chairs of the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples, Jody Broun and Les Malezer
On the fourth anniversary of the apology to the Stolen Generations we call for continued support for services and healing initiatives driven by Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander peoples, as was recommended in the landmark Bringing them Home Report in 1997.
The Working Partnership between the National Sorry Day Committee and the Federal Government has been able to monitor action and outcomes by various Government departments and other agencies around specific areas like education and health and aged care.
Read MoreThe National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples strongly advocated priority issues this week in Canberra, including achieving a bipartisan response to Constitutional change and the imminent debate in Parliament of the Northern Territory Stronger Futures legislation.
Co-Chairs Les Malezer and Jody Broun said the Congress National Board used its first meeting of 2012 to reset the relationship with Parliamentarians through meetings and briefings, including with the Opposition Leader Mr Abbott.
The National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples (Congress) says the bills to continue the Intervention in the Northern Territory must be withdrawn and reintroduced so they will be subject to the same human rights scrutiny as other bills. The Congress Co-Chairs say the bills were originally tabled before the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act passed late last year and cannot be debated without being subject to those conditions.
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