The Federal Government has introduced legislation to extend a scheme which suspends key Centrelink payments to parents whose children are not regularly attending school. It has failed to explain how families affected by the policy will meet basic living costs for food, rent, clothing and medicines.

ANTaR Qld and Project 10% partners ATSIWLAS and Murri Watch met with the new Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander partnerships, Minister Curtis Pitt, to discuss the urgent need for a new justice strategy in Queensland. The discussion touched on the role of each of the key Departments and the need to mitigate the unintended consequences of any new laws and programs. For more information contact the office on 3844 9800 or email office@antarqld.org.au.

ANTaR Qld, Campaign Working Group members and Project 10% partners, Murriwatch and ATSIWLAS, presented their Submission to the Qld Government entitled Reducing Imprisonment Rates - A Three Year Plan in the lead up to the release of the new Justice Strategy in Qld.

The Submission reflects the last 18 months of community engagement around the issue of over representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Queensland criminal justice system, and captures the insights of over 200 Elders, leaders and community members from around the State.

The Qld Police Service and the Qld Government have responded to the CMC Report into crime prevention, policing and local justice in Aboriginal communities. The CMC Report was released last year with a swathe of recommendations and detailed research pertaining to improvements that need to be made. This report is available from the Crimes and Misconduct website. The significant recommendation by the CMC was a restructure of the Qld Police Service to include a Indigenous Partnership Policing Command led by an Assistant Commissioner.

ANTaR Qld, together with Project 10% Partners MurriWatch and ATSIWLAS, presented at a series of community workshops in Brisbane and surrounds to hear peoples views on barriers, issues and solutions to reducing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander imprisonment rates in Qld. Download the report here.

     Indigenous issues scarcely rated a mention until the second last week of the election campaign when the Labor Party and the Coalition both released their election statements, which received limited media coverage. Due to the lateness of their release, Aboriginal people in many remote areas had started voting well before the major parties’ policies on Indigenous issues were known.More here : www.antar.org.au/federal_election_2010

You can help reduce the devastating rates of imprisonment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults and children by signing the Project 10% Call to Action.

Download the Call to Action now.