Senate Select Committee on Regional and Remote Indigenous Communities
Inquiry process
The select committee was due to report twice
each year during the 42nd Parliament.
The committee tabled five reports in total, which are available
here.
The committee's terms of reference are very broad
and cover a range of subjects. These include Commonwealth government
policies that are specific to the Northern Territory Emergency Response, the
wellbeing and safety of children and the involvement of the Commonwealth,
state and territory governments in regional and remote Indigenous
communities.
In its first report of 30 September 2008 the
committee provided an overview of the breadth of issues that had been raised
with them by communities, organisations, business and industry as well as
individuals living and working in regional and remote Indigenous
communities. The committee also reported on the following themes that arose
out of submissions and during community visits:
-
A perceived
need for a greater investment in people, resources and infrastructure to
meet the needs and aspirations of regional and remote communities;
-
A commitment
from state , territory and Commonwealth governments to long term
relationships and partnerships with Indigenous people and communities as
way of solving entrenched problems;
-
Ability of
government programs to be tailored to the needs and strengths of
communities, not the other way around;
-
Increased
accountability of bureaucracies to Indigenous people and communities; and
-
A perceived
lack of awareness of the serious nature of the issues confronting people
living in regional and remote Indigenous communities.
The second report of 25 June 2009 included chapters on the Northern Territory
and South Australia, while the committee's third report of 26 November 2009
focussed on Western Australia and New South Wales. The committee's fourth
report focussed on Queensland, while the final report presented the
committee's overall findings.
For further information, contact:
Senior Clerk's Office
Department of the Senate
PO Box 6100
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Australia