13th Feb 2017, 3:55 PM – Senate Motions - Indigenous Incarceration - Community consultation

The majority voted in favour of a motion introduced by Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert (WA), which means it was successful.

Motions like these don't have legal force by themselves. That is, they don't force the Government to act in a particular way. However, they do show the opinion of the Senate on this matter and so can be influential in terms of policy development and perhaps even the drafting of new bills to address this issue.

Motion text

That the Senate—

(a) notes that the adult incarceration rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples increased by 77.4 per cent from 2000 to 2015;

(b) acknowledges the growing incarceration rates of our First Peoples is shameful;

(c) notes the Redfern Statement, which was released in 2016 by over 55 Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal organisations and peak bodies, sets out a plan for addressing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' disadvantage;

(d) notes that the Redfern Statement calls for justice targets to help focus the effort to reduce Aboriginal incarceration; and

(e) calls on the Government to listen to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community and adopt justice targets as a matter of urgency.