Robynne Quiggin, Deputy Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, presents the latest report on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice and Native Title.
The state of the nation type report which is the seventh and final report for the term of Social Justice commissioner Mick Gooda was tabled in Parliament recently.
The Report examines the enjoyment and exercise of human rights by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples from the 1st of July 2015 to the 30th of June 2016.
In doing so, it provides an overview of the year with respect to social justice and native title issues.
Native title developments and the Indigenous Property Rights
Commenting on the 2016 report, Robynne Quiggin Deputy Aboriginal Torres Islander Social Justice Commissioner says: "in this reporting period we comment a bit on some of the most important judgements that have come down.
One of them into the right of aboriginal people to use the resources on their native title lands and to use those resources for commercial purposes …
So there was an important decision from the court in relation to that.
The other big piece of work that we talk about in the report is a large project that the Human Rights Commission has been facilitating; looking at opening up opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to engage in economic development of their native title of their land rights land or other land that they have been able to get back.
Now, we are not saying that everybody wants to do economic development but where people do want to do that on their country we are looking at some of the blocks and how we can look at opening up those opportunities.
It has been an indigenous led project but weve really facilitated that, we brought together indigenous people who are leading the way in relation to their native title land rights through the indigenous land corporation working with land holders and working with the banks and other finance organisations.
Adress the challenge of Indigenous incarceration
The Report also outlines major developments during the year, including the united call for action in the Redfern Statement, reviews of the Indigenous Advancement Strategy and ongoing challenges in relation to Indigenous incarceration. Authors of this report recommend the full implementation of the recommendations made by the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody some 35 years.
Authors of this report also urge the Australian Government to ratify and implement the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT).
This is an international agreement aimed at preventing torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Robynne Quiggin says "from the human rights perspective, we do reiterate our call to the Australian government to ratify OPCAT and get his national monitoring system in place so we have continual monitoring and visits to all places of detention and monitoring; that we are meeting all our human rights where we hold people in detention."