Indigenous judge to head prison inquiry

The federal government has appointed a commissioner and released terms of reference for an inquiry into incarceration rates of indigenous Australians.

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The first Aboriginal man appointed to a federal court has been chosen to head an inquiry into the over-representation of indigenous Australians in prisons.

Judge Matthew Myers has been asked to examine why Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 27 per cent of Australia's prison inmates, despite only constituting three per cent of the country's population.

The Australian Law Reform Council will examine the laws, frameworks and institutions underpinning the "disturbing" over-representation and report to government by year's end, Attorney-General George Brandis said on Friday.