Senate debates

Wednesday, 8 March 2023

Questions without Notice

Aboriginal Deaths in Custody

2:40 pm

Photo of Murray WattMurray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

As I was saying: last year, in recognition that there is still more work to do in implementing the recommendations of the royal commission, the Attorney-General established a First Nations justice task force with the Minister for Indigenous Australians, Ms Burney, and that contains officials from both of their agencies. That task force is leading the design, coordination, and implementation of this government's historic $99 million First Nations Justice package. That includes unprecedented Commonwealth investment in justice re-investment; unprecedented Commonwealth investment in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal services to provide culturally appropriate legal assistance in coronial inquiries; and a commitment to real-time reporting of deaths in custody. The government is also working closely with states and territories on a proposal to raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility. We acknowledge there's more work to be done in this space. It needs to happen, and we're getting on with doing it.

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