Aboriginal Law Bulletin --- "Recent Happenings" [1996] AboriginalLawB 34; (1996) 3(81) Aboriginal Law Bulletin 25

• Recent Happenings
• 15 March
• 25 March
• 29 March
• 30 March
• 28 March
• 1 April
• 2 April
• 5 April
• 6 April
• 10 April
• 10 April

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Recent Happenings

15 March

It was revealed that the Queensland Anti-Discrimination Commission had commenced investigations against Ms Pauline Hanson, member for Oxley, for breaches of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth). The investigations are prompted by Ms Hanson’s statement on 3 March that she would be representing all citizens in her electorate apart from Indigenous Australians. It is believed to be the first time a sitting member of parliament has been investigated for breaching the RDA.

25 March

The Federal Government confirmed the inquiry by Justice Jane Mathews into heritage protection applications lodged by members of the Ngarrindjeri community against construction of a bridge a Hindmarsh Island (Kumarangk) would be allowed to be completed. Jusrtice Mathews was appointed to head the inquiry on 16 January.

29 March

An Amnesty International report described Australian criminal justice as systematically discriminatory against Indigenous Australians. The Amnesty report investigated the implementation of some of the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody recommendations. The Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Senator John Herron, replied that statistical bias against Indigenous Australians in the criminal justice system may exist, but there is no evidence of systematic discrimination.

30 March

At the meeting of the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General in Darwin, , the Federal Attorney-General, Mr Daryl Williams, said that Indigenous customary law should be given greater recognition in legislation. He also said that it is the States which should be most responsible for advancing this recognition.

28 March

The Commonwealth Ombudsman’s report on the dispute between the New Burt Bridge Aboriginal Corporation, Kempsey, and ATSIC, was released. Release of the report has been delayed by over a year due to legal action be ATSIC in the Federal Court.

1 April

Senator John Herron announced an audit of all Aboriginal Legal Services in Victoria, Queensland and NSW. The audit, to be conducted by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC), is to examine the quality of services provided by the ALSs to Indigenous Australians, and investigate financial management. The audit was initiated after allegations of financial mismanagement by the Redfern ALS were aired on the Nine Network’s Sunday program on 31 March.

2 April

The Redfern Aboriginal Legal Service went to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission with a complaint about discrimination by ATSIC. The substance of the complaint revolves around assertions that the Redfern ALS receives approximately half the funding provided by ATSIC for Indigenous legal service in NSW, but has a client group of 69% of the NSW Indigenous population.

5 April

Minister for the Environment, Senator Robert Hill, promised Indigenous traditional owners of land in Kakadu National Park that the Federal Government would not pass management of the park from the Australian Nature Conservation Foundation to the Northern Territory Government without their consent.

6 April

A leaked report by the Criminal Justice Commission, Queensland, stated that remote Indigenous communities ‘are getting a standard of legal representation that falls short of what people in most other parts of Queensland expect and are entitled to expect’. The report indicated lack of adequate funding to be the heart of the problem.

10 April

The Federal Government announced proposed changes to the operation of ATSIC. These included: appointment of a Special Auditor to whom ATSIC must provide accountability documentation; Government to appoint 2 ATSIC commissioners (the other 17 to be elected), and retain power to appoint the ATSIC Chair; and reduction of number of regional councillors from 20 to between 8 and 12 per council. Further changes are likely.

10 April

Premier of Queensland, Mr Rob Borbidge, said his Government would not support the Regional Heads of Agreement signed of 5 February between Indigenous and other land interests in Cape York Peninsular. He had earlier this year described the agreement as a ‘template for others across Australia’.