Reconciliation and Social Justice Library
Reconciliation and Social Justice Library
5. The Commonwealth undertake a campaign to ensure that communities and agencies are aware of the need to employ trained Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language interpreters where appropriate. (paragraph 4.96)
6. Agencies reliant on Commonwealth funding be funded for the employment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language interpreters where appropriate. (paragraph 4.96)
7. Government agencies use interpreters when talking to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities where Standard Australian English is not the vernacular. (paragraph 4.96)
8. Government agencies use translators where appropriate to ensure information they send to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities is delivered effectively. (paragraph 4.96)
9. Government agencies pay a skill loading to staff, other than interpreters, who have interpreter training and who may be called upon to interpret in their normal work. (paragraph 4.96)
10. The Commonwealth establish under ATSIC a separate national interpreter service for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages to ensure that people have reliable access to trained interpreters and translators. The service should be separately funded. Because of the number and geographic distribution of language speakers, a network service utilising existing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language resources where possible, would be most appropriate. (paragraph 4.96)
11. In implementing recommendation 99 of the Report of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody a stronger obligation be imposed on courts to establish a person's fluency in Standard Australian English in determining the need for an interpreter. This would include translating Aboriginal English where required. (paragraph 4.96)