Communique - Indigenous Community Safety Roundtable - Sydney
6 November 2009
The Commonwealth Government today hosted a roundtable on Indigenous community safety for State and Territory Attorneys-General, Indigenous Affairs Ministers, Police Ministers and Commissioners and Indigenous professionals working in the field.
Relevant Ministers and Police Commissioners agreed that there was a need for continued improvement by all Governments to improve the safety of Indigenous people living in remote, regional and urban areas in response to high levels of violence, abuse and other crime.
The right to live free from violence is a fundamental human right. Community safety is also a vital pre-condition to achieve COAG’s targets in health, education and housing. It was agreed that if there is not action to address serious problems in this area, it will not be possible to make improvements in other areas.
Ministers also agreed that:
- Building relationships of trust and respect between Indigenous communities and the police could encourage the early reporting of family violence, reduce intimidation and fear, and increase confidence in the justice system.
- Sharing information between police and other key welfare agencies was critical to providing timely and effective support for victims of crime, particularly children. Prompt, effective sharing of information helps welfare agencies intervene early before a situation escalates. It also reduces unnecessary intrusion by multiple agencies into family life.
- It is critical that victims of family violence and sexual assault have access to sustained and responsive services. The National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and Children emphasises the importance of a service delivery model based on the philosophy that the "first door must be the right door". This means that a victim’s first point of contact with formal services, whether it is police, medical, legal, accommodation, counselling or child protection, must be able to support women and children in a compassionate and professional manner through the recovery process.
The Ministers agreed to:
- Develop an effective approach for determining law enforcement and support services required in remote and very remote communities, and to recruiting and retaining sworn officers, especially Indigenous officers;
- Develop strategies to reduce alcohol induced violence, abuse and crimes in affected Indigenous communities;
- Provide leadership at all levels on the need for information sharing and integrated service delivery, particularly in relation to family violence and child abuse or neglect cases; and
- Explore the feasibility of a "first door must be the right door" service delivery model between States and Territories and the Commonwealth, where people receive the appropriate care and support through the entire process of recovery.
Officials will develop detailed proposals around each of these matters for consideration by Ministers at a further meeting to be held before the end of the year.
