Reconciliation and Social Justice Library

ROYAL COMMISSION INTO ABORIGINAL DEATHS IN CUSTODY

REGIONAL REPORT OF INQUIRY INTO UNDERLYING ISSUES IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA

• REGIONAL REPORT OF INQUIRY INTO UNDERLYING ISSUES IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA
  • PREFACE
  • EXPLANATORY NOTES
  • LIST OF GRAPHS, MAPS AND TABLES
    • GRAPHS
    • MAPS
    • TABLES
  • ACRONYMS
  • THE 'WHY' OF THE ROYAL COMMISSION INTO ABORIGINAL DEATHS IN CUSTODY
    • 1.1 BACKGROUND
    • 1.2 THE INTERIM INQUIRY INTO ABORIGINAL DEATHS IN CUSTODY IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA
    • 1.3 TERMS OF REFERENCE
    • 1.4 UNDERLYING ISSUES
    • 1.5 PREMATURE DEATHS INSIDE AND OUTSIDE CUSTODIAL SETTINGS
    • 1.6 ABORIGINAL ISSUES UNIT
    • 1.7 ORGANISATION OF THE REPORT
  • HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE: KNOWLEDGE OF THE PAST TO INFORM THE PRESENT
  • DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS
  • THE PEOPLE WHO DIED IN CUSTODY IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA, 1980-1989
  • CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: ABORIGINES AND THE STATE
    • 5.1 `PRESCRIBED, PROSCRIBED AND CIRCUMSCRIBED BY OUR LAW'
      • 5.1.1 Historical overview of Aboriginal and other perceptions
      • 5.1.2 Contextualising arrest and detention rates
    • 5.2 ABORIGINAL EXPERIENCE OF THE SYSTEM
    • 5.3 ABORIGINAL LEGAL SERVICE
      • 5.3.1 Research Paper 4
      • 5.3.2 Limitations of the study
      • 5.3.3 Significant findings
      • 5.3.4 Outcomes and penalties
      • 5.3.5 'One month's takings'
    • 5.4 JUSTICES OF THE PEACE
      • 5.4.1 Justices reliance on Clerks of Courts
      • 5.4.2 Justices training and perceptions
      • 5.4.3 Justices sitting alone
      • 5.4.4 Court procedure
      • 5.4.5 Sentencing by Justices
      • 5.4.6 Justices on Decriminalisation of Drunkenness
      • 5.4.7 Justices of the Peace and the Bail Act
      • 5.4.8 Aboriginal Justices
      • 5.4.9 Justices of the Peace and law reform
      • 5.4.10 The Aboriginal Legal Service and Justices of the Peace
      • 5.4.11 An attempt to limit the jurisdiction of Justices
    • 5.5 MAGISTRATES
      • 5.5.1 Training of Magistrates
      • 5.5.2 Aboriginal people and Magistrates
      • 5.5.3 Sentencing by Magistrates
      • 5.5.4 Magistrates acknowledgement of social problems
      • 5.5.5 Juvenile Justice and Magistrates
      • 5.5.6 Magistrates attitudes
      • 5.5.7 Magistrates and Bail
    • 5.6 SUPERIOR COURTS
      • 5.6.1 Superior Courts and the Aboriginal Legal Service
    • 5.7 JUVENILES AND THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
      • 5.7.1 History of Children's Court
      • 5.7.2 Justices of the Peace and the Children's Court
      • 5.7.3 Those who died in custody and juvenile justice
      • 5.7.4 Arrest compared with summons
      • 5.7.5 Detention of juveniles
      • 5.7.6 Bail Act and juveniles
      • 5.7.7 Police role at Children's Court
      • 5.7.8 Access to material on police files
      • 5.7.9 Solicitors
      • 5.7.10 Police Union comment on the Children's Court
    • 5.8 SENTENCING
      • 5.8.1 Muirhead's recommendations on sentencing
      • 5.8.2 Community Based Corrections
    • 5.9 BAIL ACT (1982)
      • 5.9.1 Aboriginal views of Bail
      • 5.9.2 Juveniles and Bail: Solicitors opinions
      • 5.9.3 Judicial opinion on juveniles and Bail
      • 5.9.4 Bail and Justices of the Peace
      • 5.9.5. Magistrates and Bail
      • 5.9.6 Police comment
      • 5.9.7 Commissioner of Police
      • 5.9.8 The report on the review of the Bail Act (1982)
      • 5.9.9 The report on the review of the Bail Act (1982) and juveniles
    • 5.10 INTERPRETERS AND CULTURAL AWARENESS
    • 5.11 CUSTOMARY LAW
    • 5.12 CUSTODIANS OF LAW AND ORDER?
      • 5.12.1 'Placating The Settlers ...'
      • 5.12.2 The Police Act (1892)
      • 5.12.3 Aboriginal/Police relations in a contemporary setting
      • 5.12.4 Aboriginal views
      • 5.12.5 Police
      • 5.12.6 Aboriginal/police relations and those who died in custody
      • 5.12.7 The Police Union and relations with Aboriginal people
      • 5.12.8 Commissioner of Police and relations with Aboriginal people
      • 5.12.9 Aboriginal/Police Liaison Committees
      • 5.12.10 Police Aides
      • 5.12.11 Complaints about the police
        • 5.12.11.1 Furnell Royal Commission
        • 5.12.11.2 Aboriginal viewpoints
        • 5.12.11.3 Aboriginal Legal Service and police complaints
        • 5.12.11.4 History of complaints to the Aboriginal Legal Service
        • 5.12.11.5 Equal Opportunity Commission and police complaints
        • 5.12.11.6 Police jurisdiction and the Ombudsman
        • 5.12.11.7 Other legal forums available for use in pursuing police complaints
        • 5.12.11.8 Police view of complaints process
    • 5.13 POLICE AND THE NEWS MEDIA
    • 5.14 PRISONS AND THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIVE SERVICES
      • 5.14.1 Offences
      • 5.14.2 Prison economy
      • 5.14.3 Health Services in custodial settings
        • 5.14.3.1 Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in custodial settings
      • 5.14.4 Education in prison
      • 5.14.5 For those who died in custody
      • 5.14.6 Aboriginal Visitors Scheme
        • 5.14.6.1 The AVS and Aboriginal people
    • 5.15 COMMUNITY RELEASE PROGRAMMES
    • 5.16 THE MEAL ALLOWANCE
      • 5.16.1 Response of the Commissioner of Police
      • 5.16.2 Police Union response
    • 5.17 PRISON OFFICERS AND WELFARE
  • CONTEMPORARY ABORIGINAL SOCIETY AND CHANGE: WESTERN AUSTRALIA
    • 6.1 MATERIAL CONDITIONS AND LOCATIONS
    • 6.2 ABORIGINAL IDENTITIES AND IDEOLOGIES
    • 6.3 SOCIAL ORGANISATION AND CHANGE
    • 6.4 ABORIGINAL LAND
      • 6.4.1 Aboriginal land and the Church
      • 6.4.2 Aboriginal land and excisions
      • 6.4.3 Aboriginal Heritage Act (1972-1980)
    • 6.5 CHANGING FORMS OF ABORIGINAL INCOME AND DISTRIBUTION
    • 6.6 ABORIGINAL MEDIA
    • 6.7 ABORIGINAL ATTITUDES TOWARD NON-ABORIGINAL PEOPLE
    • 6.8 ABORIGINAL MEN
    • 6.9 ABORIGINAL WOMEN
    • 6.10 PARENTING AND THE GRANNY SYNDROME
    • 6.11 ABORIGINAL YOUTH, FAMILY LIFE AND THE STATE
      • 6.11.1 Juvenile offenders
      • 6.11.2 The 'why' of juvenile offending
        • 6.11.2.1 Aboriginal child placement
        • 6.11.2.2 Station (Alternative Custody) Programme
        • 6.11.2.3 Incarceration and youth
        • 6.11.2.4 ' Department for Community Services and youth
        • 6.11.2.5 Aboriginal organisations and youth
        • 6.11.2.6 Media, youth and self-esteem
    • 6.12 ABORIGINAL ACCESS TO AND CONTROL OF INFORMATION
    • 6.13 ABORIGINALITY IN THE CONTEXT OF ART AND CRAFT
    • 6.14 ABORIGINALITY AS AN UNDERLYING ISSUE
  • THE ABORIGINAL ECONOMY
    • 7.1 EQUITY AND DISTRIBUTION
      • 7.1.1 Economic reality and 'Nan and Pop'
    • 7.2 MYTHS ABOUT FUNDING
    • 7.3 ECONOMIC ENTERPRISES
  • RACE RELATIONS OF AN ABORIGINAL AND NON-ABORIGINAL KIND
    • 8.1 ABORIGINAL IMAGES IN WHITE MINDS
    • 8.2 INCITEMENT TO RACIAL HATRED BILL
  • GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, LEGISLATION, POLICIES AND PRACTICE
    • 9.1 LOCAL GOVERNMENT
    • 9.2 COMMONWEALTH/STATE RELATIONS AND ABORIGINAL AFFAIRS
    • 9.3 ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES ACT (1979)
      • 9.3.1 Aboriginal voices
      • 9.3.2 Aboriginal Legal Service comment on the Act
      • 9.3.3 Other Legislative backup
      • 9.3.4 The Law Reform Commission and the Act
    • 9.4 THE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION AND ABORIGINAL PEOPLE
    • 9.5 DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SECURITY AND SOCIAL SECURITY APPEALS TRIBUNAL
    • 9.6 THE OMBUDSMAN: PRESENT POWERS
  • ABORIGINES AND THE STATE: MARGINALISATION AND INSTITUTIONALISATION
    • 10. 1 THE MYTH OF DEPENDENCY
    • 10.2 CO-DEPENDENCY AND WELFARE
    • 10.3 DEPARTMENT FOR COMMUNITY SERVICES
      • 10.3.1 Department for Community Services and juvenile justice
      • 10.3.2 Visibility and invisibility
      • 10.3.3 Aboriginal realities
      • 10.3.4 Department for Community Services obligations
      • 10.3.5 Department for Community Services policy and philosophy
      • 10.3.6 Implementation of philosophies and policies
      • 10.3.7 Service based vs needs based approach
      • 10.3.8 Equity, compromise and social regression
      • 10.3.9 Aboriginal concern
      • 10.3.10 Empowerment and the State
    • 10.4 'TAKING YOUR CHILD AWAY ...'
    • 10.5 MISSION POLICIES AND IMPOSITIONS
  • ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND WORK
    • 11.1 BRIEF HISTORY OF ABORIGINAL LABOUR
      • 11.1.1 From rags and rations, to dole money and inactivity
      • 11.1.2 Current responsibilities and practices of private and public sector interests
        • 11.1.2.1 Regional economic development
        • 11.1.2.2 Racism and work
        • 11.1.2.3 Education and work
        • 11.1.2.4 An economic base
        • 11.1.2.5 Aboriginal ideas for work
        • 11.1.2.6 A case study: Fitting the Eastern Goldfields into a broader context
        • 11.1.2.7 Economic development and compensation
      • 11.1.3 Union interests
      • 11.1.4 Community Development Employment Programme
        • Policy objectives
        • The stated goals of CDEP
        • Strategies
        • Project instructions
        • Operational guidelines
        • Programme guidelines
        • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission responsibilities
        • Provision of services and CDEP
        • Summary of CDEP
  • LIMITED ACCESS TO EDUCATION
    • 12.1 HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
    • 12.2 ISSUES FROM DEATHS IN CUSTODY
    • 12.3 RETENTION RATES
    • 12.4 ABORIGINAL PERSPECTIVES
    • 12.5 NON-ABORIGINAL PERSPECTIVES
    • 12.6 BICULTURAL EDUCATION
    • 12.7 ABORIGINAL EDUCATORS
    • 12.8 EDUCATIONAL DISCIPLINE
    • 12.9 CURRICULUM CONTENT AND TEACHER TRAINING
    • 12.10 LANGUAGE
    • 12.11 INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS
    • 12.12 FUNDING
    • 12.13 TERTIARY EDUCATION
    • 12.14 CATHOLIC EDUCATION
    • 12.15 SUMMARY OF EDUCATION
  • HOUSING
    • 13.1 HISTORY OF HOUSING POLICIES AND ABORIGINAL PEOPLE IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA
    • 13.2 ABORIGINAL HOUSING NEEDS
  • THE STRUGGLE FOR HEALTH
    • 14.1 HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
    • 14.2 CURRENT HEALTH STATUS
    • 14.3 SERVICE DELIVERY
    • 14.4 ABORIGINAL HEALTH WORKERS AND EMPLOYMENT
    • 14.5 ABORIGINAL HEALTH AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
    • 14.6 ABORIGINAL HEALTH AND THE STATE GOVERNMENT
    • 14.7 MENTAL HEALTH
    • 14.8 'TOO MANY WORRIES': SELF-INFLICTED HARM
    • 14.9 SELF-INFLICTED HARM AND THE MEDIA: 'COPYCAT SYNDROME'
  • THE IMPACT OF MINING: 'ALL WE GET IS THE DUST'
    • 15.1 VESTED INTERESTS: THE MINING LOBBY
    • 15.2 ABORIGINAL INTERESTS
    • 15.3 THE VICTIMS
    • 15.4 POLICIES, PRACTICES AND CONSEQUENCES
    • 15.5 GETTING THE SCALE RIGHT: LOCAL EMPOWERMENT
  • TOURISM ENCROACHING ON ABORIGINAL PEOPLE, ABORIGINAL LAND
    • 16.1 CONTEMPORARY RESPONSES TO TOURISM
    • 16.2 MUSEUMS, TOURISM AND THE REPRESENTATION OF ABORIGINAL PEOPLE
    • 16.3 HERITAGE SITES AND TOURIST INFORMATION
  • ESSENTIAL SERVICES
    • 17.1 DENIAL OF ACCESS TO SERVICES
    • 17.2 THE 'TAXI ECONOMY'
  • REINFORCEMENT OF MARGINALISATION THROUGH THE PRESS
    • 18.1 SHIFTS IN PRESS TREATMENT OF ABORIGINAL ISSUES 1960 TO 1990
    • 18.2 MANUFACTURE OF NEWS
    • 18.3 MEDIA AND KNOWLEDGE ABOUT ABORIGINAL PEOPLE
    • 18.4 FREQUENCY OF ABORIGINAL NEWS ITEMS
    • 18.5 MEDIA VISIONS OF CRIME AND DISORDER
    • 18.6 COUNTRY NEWSPAPERS AND ABORIGINAL PEOPLE
    • 18.7 RADIO AND 'TALK-BACK'
    • 18.8 IDENTIFICATION OF ABORIGINALITY
    • 18.9 RACIAL AND COLONIAL STEREOTYPES AND IMAGES
  • ALCOHOL AND SUBSTANCE USE
    • 19.1 HISTORICAL ASPECTS OF ALCOHOL
    • 19.2 ' WHY' ALCOHOL AND SUBSTANCE USE?
    • 19.3 SOME CONSEQUENCES OF ALCOHOL
      • 19.3.1 Sobering up shelters and other initiatives
    • 19.4 'ALCOHOL KILLS SOMETHING IN YOUR BODY'
    • 19.5 LIQUOR LICENSING ACT (1988), WESTERN AUSTRALIA
      • 19.5.1 The sale of alcohol to drunken persons
      • 19.5.2 Government advice on Liquor Licensing
      • 19.5.3 The Police Union view
      • 19.5.4 Park and street drinking
      • 19.5.5 Applications for extended trading hours
    • 19.6 DECRIMINALISATION OF DRUNKENNESS
    • 19.7 OTHER SUBSTANCES
  • VIOLENCE
    • 20.1 CULTURAL ASPECTS OF VIOLENCE
    • 20.2 THE ONGOING VIOLENCE OF COLONISATION
  • ABORIGINAL ASPIRATIONS AND NATURAL JUSTICE
    • 21.1 A NEED FOR SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CHANGE AND THE RECOGNITION OF INDIGENOUS RIGHTS
  • LIST OF APPENDICES