Recommendation 1

8.28    The committee recommends that the Commonwealth Government adequately support legal assistance services, and that specifically funding should focus on:

• community legal education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people;
• outreach workers to assist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people; and
• interpreters for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in both civil and criminal matters to ensure that they receive effective legal assistance.

Recommendation 2

8.29    The committee recommends that the Commonwealth Government take all necessary steps in the development and implementation of a plan for the collection of consistent national data on all aspects of Indigenous incarceration placed on the agenda for the next meeting of the Council of Australian Governments Law, Crime and Community Safety Council.

Recommendation 3

8.30    The committee recommends that the Commonwealth Government, prior to the next Council of Australian Governments meeting, explicitly state the measures it is putting in place to assist states and territories to develop, implement and meet Indigenous justice targets.

Recommendation 4

8.31    The committee recommends that the Department of Health prepare a communication plan for those working in areas such as the criminal justice field, to accompany the release of the National Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Diagnostic Tool.

Recommendation 5

8.32    The committee recommends that the Commonwealth Government, through the Council of Australian Governments, work with states and territories, to develop and implement guidelines for the appropriate management of offenders diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.

Recommendation 6

8.33    The committee recommends that the Commonwealth Government continue to fund initiatives which promote the National Health and Medical Research Council's guidelines that for women who are pregnant, planning a pregnancy or breastfeeding, not drinking alcohol is the safest option.

Recommendation 7

8.34    The committee recommends that the Commonwealth Government contribute to the development of justice reinvestment trials at sites in each state and territory.

Recommendation 8

8.35    The committee recommends that much greater attention is given to Aboriginal led, managed and implemented justice reinvestment programs such as the Bourke Project and Yirriman, and that the Commonwealth Government support Aboriginal led justice reinvestment projects.

Recommendation 9

8.36    The committee recommends that the Commonwealth Government work with the states and territories in supporting programs which strengthen families and communities through a focus on early intervention and support.

Recommendation 10

8.37    The committee recommends that administrative responsibility for Family Violence Prevention Legal Services be returned to the Attorney-General’s Department.

Recommendation 11

8.38    The committee recommends that the Council of Australian Governments task the Council of Australian Governments Law, Crime and Community Safety Council to review state laws such as mandatory sentencing which have a disproportionate effect on Indigenous Australians in order to quantify the effects and report to the Council of Australian Governments.

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