Aboriginal Law Bulletin --- "Update: Indigenous Law Students Association; Aboriginal Strategic Plan for NSW Police; Aboriginal Justice Advisory Committee (Queensland)" [1994] AboriginalLawB 11; (1994) 3(67) Aboriginal Law Bulletin 2

• Update – April 1994
• Indigenous Law Students Association
• Aboriginal Strategic Plan For Nsw Police
• Aboriginal Justice Advisory Committee (Queensland)

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Update –
April 1994

Indigenous Law Students Association

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Law students at theUniversity of Western Australia intend forming an Aboriginal and Tones Strait Islander Law Students Association to encourage Aboriginal and Islander discussion in legal issues affecting them. Aboriginal and Islander elders and community members, as well as law students, will be encouraged to participate.

The Association aims to foster a students' network, facilitate intellectual discussion on Aboriginal and Islander legal issues and encourage more Aboriginal and Tones Strait Islander people to undertake studies in law. A network will not only provide support for students, but will assist them throughout professional life.

Areas of the law which directly affect Aboriginal and Islander peoples include:

• Copyright protection
• Rights to natural resources
• Native Title and Land Rights
• Heritage issues
• Implementation of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody Recommendations
• Self-determination
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural, legal, social, economic and other input into any constitutional changes.
• International developments on Indigenous peoples' legal and human rights.

The proposed Association will be a forum for the progression of intellectual debate towards informing Aboriginal and Islander people of their legal rights and of policies affecting them, as welll as protection of such rights as they may have.

The Association proponents believe that Aboriginal and Islander input into cultural, legal, social and economic issues should be more than merely advisory if any changes are to be successful in meeting the diverse needs of Aboriginal and Islander peoples.

Indigenous students of law at the University of WA would be interested to hear from other Aboriginal and Islander law students, practising Aboriginal and Islander lawyers and other interested people throughout Australia, especially those who have already set up such an Association, with the objective of forming a national body to discuss Aboriginal and Islander legal issues more fully.

Please send your ideas, queries, etc., to either:
Ms Tamara Hunter or Mr David Saylor,
C/- Centre for Aboriginal Programmes
University of Western Australia
Nedlands, WA, 6009.

Aboriginal Strategic Plan for NSW Police

Not so much a new publication as a part of a Police policy shift towards better Aboriginal-Police relations, the Aboriginal Strategic Plan is a set of guiding principles for improvement of the NSW Police Force's relationship with Aboriginal people.

For distribution (along with a travelling presentation by Boe Rambaldini) to all members of the NSW Police Force, the document targets a number of critical areas for redressing educational and procedural shortcomings in current policing methods. Options include:

• exploring alternatives to arrest;
• establishing a network of services for Aboriginal crime victims;
• identifying and targeting racist tendencies in Police recruits;
• instigating local cultural awareness training for Police at various levels; and
• targeting prisoner safety.

This is the first publication of its kind specifically aimed at the NSW Police Force.

Aboriginal Justice Advisory Committee (Queensland)

In response to recommendation 2 of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, an Aboriginal Justice Advisory Committee (AJAC) has been established in Queensland by the Minister for Justice and Attorney-General, The Honourable Dean Wells MLA. The first meeting of AJAC was held on 28 June 1993. It met several further times last year and intends meeting at least bi-monthly during 1994.

AJAC is to provide the Qld Government and, in particular, the Minister for Justice and Attorney-General, with advice on Aboriginal perceptions of criminal justice matters, and on the implementation of the recommendations contained in the report of the RCIADIC.

The terms of reference for AJAC are as follows:

• provide government with informed advice on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander views on criminal justice matters and on the implementation of RCIADIC recommendations;
• propose changes to policies which affect the operation of criminal justice;
• develop programs for crime prevention and social control which enhance Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander self-management and autonomy;
• develop programs which increase the recruitment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to the staff of criminal justice agencies; and
• arrange for dissemination of information on policies and programs between different agencies and different states.

A small Secretariat is located within the Department of Justice and Attorney- General, and is accountable to AJAC on terms negotiated between the government and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and has the maximum degree of autonomy from government as is consistent with fulfilling its functions to assist AJAC in providing informed, independent advice to the government.

The AJAC Secretariat is located at:
9th Floor, MLC Court
15-23 Adelaide St
Brisbane, Qld., 4000.

The postal address is:
GPO Box 149
Brisbane, Qld., 4001.
Ph: [phone]; fax: [phone].

People who wish to make a submission on any matter contained within the Terms of Reference of AJAC are invited to do so.