WGAR News: Treatment not prison for our mob: NACCHO Aboriginal Health News Alerts

Newsletter date: 7 February 2013

Contents:

* NACCHO Aboriginal Health News Alerts: Treatment not prison for our mob
* The Wire: Jail costs far outweigh rehabilitation
* Tracker: Jail should be a last resort for non-violent offenders: report
* AHRC: Social Justice Commissioner welcomes new report
* Greens Senators Rachel Siewert & Penny Wright: Drug and alcohol treatments to reduce crime, boost health
* NITV News: Minister backs calls for Indigenous offenders' rehab
* Let's Talk's Tiga Bayles interviews Gino Vumbaca & John Heron
* Background to Aboriginal imprisonment and Deaths in Custody

* NITV News: Interview with Paddy Gibson on the 'Close the Gap' report

* Other articles

* NACCHO ABORIGINAL HEALTH NEWS ALERTS: TREATMENT NOT PRISON FOR OUR MOB

- News Alert

NACCHO Aboriginal Health News Alerts: Treatment not prison for our mob:New landmark report reveals $111,000 can be saved per year per offender by diverting non-violent Indigenous offenders into treatment instead of prison
http://nacchocommunique.com/2013/02/04/treatment-not-prison-for-our-mobn...
4 Feb 13: "A new landmark report clearly shows that $111,000 can be saved per year per offender by diverting non-violent Indigenous offenders into treatment instead of prison. The major accounting firm Deloitte Access Economics produced the extensive report for the National Indigenous Drug and Alcohol Committee of the Australian National Council on Drugs (Deloitte operates in over 150 countries globally). Download media release and report extracts [ http://www.naccho.org.au/download/aboriginal-health/nidac_report_release... ] ... "

See:

About Us - What is NACCHO?
http://nacchocommunique.com/about/
"The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) is the national peak Aboriginal health body representing Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services throughout Australia."

- Related News

Koori Mail: Rehab rather than prison: report
[scroll down page] http://www.koorimail.com/index.php
4 Feb 13: "A NEW report says $111,000 could be saved every year per offender by sending non-violent Aboriginal offenders to rehab rather than prison. The report from the National Indigenous Drug and Alcohol Committee was produced by global accounting firm, Deloitte Access Economics, and also revealed that a further $92,000 per offender could be saved each year in the long term due to lower mortality and better health."

* THE WIRE: JAIL COSTS FAR OUTWEIGH REHABILITATION

- Audio Interview

The Wire: Jail costs far outweigh rehabilitation
Produced by Alexia Attwood
http://www.thewire.org.au/storyDetail.aspx?ID=9976
4 Feb 13: "Now the economic arguments support the moral arguments - drug and alcohol rehabilitation produces far more cost-effective and socially-effective results than jail terms. Over $100,000 can be saved per year per person by diverting non-violent Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander offenders with substance abuse problems into treatment instead of prison. This is according to a new report launched in Parliament House today, highlighting that Indigenous people make up 26% of Australia’s adult prison population, and that drug and alcohol rehabilitation would help solve the route of this problem more than prison sentences would. ...
Featured in story:
* Gino Vumbaca - Executive Director of the Australian National Council on Drugs
* Selwyn Button - Cheif Executive Officer of Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Service"

See:

About The Wire
http://www.thewire.org.au/about.aspx
"The Wire is a daily current affairs program broadcast exclusively on Community and Indigenous radio stations around Australia."

* TRACKER: JAIL SHOULD BE A LAST RESORT FOR NON-VIOLENT OFFENDERS: REPORT

- News

newsTracker: Jail should be a last resort for non-violent offenders: report
http://tracker.org.au/2013/02/jail-should-be-a-last-resort-for-non-viole...
4 Feb 13: "NATIONAL: Australian governments need to divert much needed resources away from the prison system to community based programs and services for non-violent offenders to significantly reduce the over-representation of Indigenous people in the penal system. A new report says the move would benefit both governments and the offenders. The report has been compiled by the accounting firm Delloitte Access Economics on behalf of the National Indigenous Drug and Alcohol Committee of the Australian National Council on Drugs " By Brian Johnstone

See:

Tracker - Stories by Brian Johnstone
http://tracker.org.au/author/brian/
"Brian Johnstone is a Walkley and Human Rights award winning journalist, and is employed by the NSW Aboriginal Land Council."

About Tracker
http://tracker.org.au/about-us/
"Tracker is a monthly print publication, and also features a daily news service online. It has a print run of 35,000 copies, making it by some margin Australia’s largest Aboriginal-specific publication."

* AHRC: SOCIAL JUSTICE COMMISSIONER WELCOMES NEW REPORT

- Media Release

Australian Human Rights Commission: Social Justice Commissioner welcomes new report
http://humanrights.gov.au/about/media/media_releases/2013/6_13.html
4 Feb 13: "Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda today welcomed the release of a report prepared for the Australian National Council on Drugs which highlights that state governments may be able to save more than $110,000 per person if courts ordered Indigenous peoples convicted of a substance abuse related, non-violent offence into rehabilitation instead of sending them to jail.
The report by Deloitte Access Economics also confirms that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are over-represented in jail and examines avenues to address this over-representation.
"This is the second such report in days that confirms the importance of addressing the causal factors and not just the symptoms," said Commissioner Gooda, referring to the New South Wales Ombudsman’s report on child sexual abuse in Aboriginal communities.
"This report shows the great benefits, both financial and otherwise, of taking a justice reinvestment approach. This is not a soft on crime approach. It is about addressing the underlying issues which contribute to offending, such as drug and alcohol dependency," said the Social Justice Commissioner. ... "

See:

About the Commission
http://humanrights.gov.au/about/index.html
"The Australian Human Rights Commission is the new name of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. The Commission was established in 1986 by an act of the federal Parliament. We are an independent statutory organisation and report to the federal Parliament through the Attorney-General."

* GREENS SENATORS RACHEL SIEWERT & PENNY WRIGHT: DRUG AND ALCOHOL TREATMENTS TO REDUCE CRIME, BOOST HEALTH

- Media Release

Drug and alcohol treatments to reduce crime, boost health
Greens Senator Rachel Siewert: http://rachel-siewert.greensmps.org.au/content/media-releases/drug-and-a...
Greens Senator Penny Wright: http://penny-wright.greensmps.org.au/content/media-releases/drug-and-alc...
4 Feb 13: "The Australian Greens have backed calls to divert non-violent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders with substance use problems into rehabilitation or treatment programs in place of prison terms.
"We need Federal leadership for a new approach across the country to fix what is clearly a very broken system," said Australian Greens spokesperson on legal affairs, Senator Penny Wright.
"We must address the underlying causes of disadvantage, which mean many Aboriginal people do not have the same opportunities and support as other Australians. ...
Senator Rachel Siewert, Australian Greens spokesperson on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health has also renewed calls for investment in drug and alcohol treatment for Aboriginal offenders, saying that treatment and rehabilitation programs were essential for addressing the underlying factors which lead to involvement with the criminal justice system. ... "

See:

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Issues
Rachel Siewert: http://rachel-siewert.greensmps.org.au/portfolios/aboriginal-torres-stra...
Penny Wright: http://penny-wright.greensmps.org.au/portfolios/aboriginal-torres-strait...
"All Australians, including those living in remote communities, have an equal right to essential government services such as health, education, training, housing, community infrastructure, employment support, and policing."

About Rachel Siewert
http://rachel-siewert.greensmps.org.au/about
"Rachel is currently working to establish of a network of marine sanctuaries around Australia, introduce much needed reforms and improvements to aged care services, increase funding for mental health and preventive health measures nationwide and to improve the opportunities and life expectancy of Indigenous Australians."

About Penny Wright
http://penny-wright.greensmps.org.au/about
"As a lawyer, she often worked in the 'little end' of town, with those who live on the margins of society - people on low incomes, people with mental illnesses and people who have been dealt a tough hand by life. Since taking her Senate seat Penny has been elected to chair the Legal and Constitutional Affairs References"

* NITV NEWS: MINISTER BACKS CALLS FOR INDIGENOUS OFFENDERS' REHAB

- Video

SBS World News: Minister backs calls for Indigenous offenders' rehab
Source: NITV News
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1733574/Minister-backs-calls-for-Indi...
4 Feb 13: "Indigenous Health Minister Warren Snowdon says he supports calls for non-violent Indigenous offenders to undergo rehabilitation instead of jail. A new report claims governments could save up to $A111,000 per year for each Indigenous offender moved out of prison and into treatment programs. The report was commissioned by the Australian National Council on Drugs and prepared by the accounting firm Deloitte Access. Mr Snowdon says it makes sense."

See:

NITV News:
http://www.nitv.org.au/index.cfm
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/specialcoverage/399/NITV-News
http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/#/Menu/News%20&%20Sport/NITV%20News/Latest

* LET'S TALK'S TIGA BAYLES INTERVIEWS GINO VUMBACA & JOHN HERON:

- Audio Interview

Indigenous radio station 98.9FM Brisbane:
Let's Talk - Gino Vumbaca & John Heron
http://www.989fm.com.au/category/podcasts/lets-talk/
5 Feb 13: Tiga Bayles interviews Gino Vumbaca & John Heron
"Gino Vumbaca, Executive Director of Australian National Council on Drugs
Dr John Heron, Former Queensland Senator and Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs
Indigenous people convicted of non-violent crimes should be sent to treatment programs rather than prison."
Listen to this interview on-line:
http://www.989fm.com.au/podcasts/lets-talk/gino-vumbaca-john-heron/

See:

Let's Talk
http://www.989fm.com.au/category/podcasts/lets-talk/

About 989fm
http://www.989fm.com.au/about-989fm/
"To be an appropriate media service for the cultural and economic independence of Indigenous people."

* BACKGROUND TO ABORIGINAL IMPRISONMENT AND DEATHS IN CUSTODY:

Last updated: 31 January 2013

http://indymedia.org.au/2012/12/17/background-to-aboriginal-imprisonment...

* NITV NEWS: INTERVIEW WITH PADDY GIBSON ON THE 'CLOSE THE GAP' REPORT

- Video

NITV News 5 Feb 13 (part 1): Interview with Paddy Gibson on the 'Close the Gap' report
http://www.nitv.org.au/fx-program.cfm?pid=EA0DB231-0089-35B0-B3927D27D26...
[Paddy is interviewed 10 minutes into part 1.]

See:

NITV News:
http://www.nitv.org.au/index.cfm
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/specialcoverage/399/NITV-News
http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/#/Menu/News%20&%20Sport/NITV%20News/Latest

* OTHER ARTICLES:

- Video

SBS World News: Five years on from apology to Stolen Generations
Source: NITV News
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1733962/Five-years-on-from-apology-to...
5 Feb 13: "Next week marks the fifth anniversary of the apology to the Stolen Generations. NITV's Malarndirri McCarthy looks back at the historic event. On February 13, 2008, the images of our nation's capital with thousands of people gathered on the lawns of Parliament House were etched into Australia's memory. In the first sittings of Kevin Rudd's Labor Government, the new Prime Minister made his mark with the historic apology to the Stolen Generations across the country."

- News

National Indigenous Radio Service: Justice reinvestment won't work: Report
http://www.nirs.org.au/news/latest-news/7812-justice-reinvestment-wont-w...
5 Feb 13: "An academic says evidence has found culturally-appropriate programs would not stop Indigenous people from offending or re-offending. Sara Hudson from the Centre for Independent Studies is the author of a new report which looks into proposed justice reinvestment in Indigenous communities. Justice reinvestment proposes to redirect money spent on prisons into programs that combat the underlying causes of offending in communities with high crime rates."

- Audio

Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association:
Cycle of sexual abuse has to be broken - NSW Ombudsman
http://caama.com.au/cycle-of-sexual-abuse-has-to-be-broken-nsw-ombudsman
5 Feb 13: "The flow on effects of sexual abuse suffered by the Stolen Generations continues to this day… with large number of sexual abusers identified as the victims of abuse themselves. ... ‘The Ombudsmans report on child sexual abuse in Aboriginal communities called for urgent action to improve the effectiveness of government service delivery especially in high-need locations in remote parts of the state."

Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association:
http://caama.com.au/radio#tabs-6
http://caama.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/am-5-02-update.mp3
5 Feb 13: "* The NSW ombudsman says the flow on effects of sexual abuse suffered by the stolen generations continues till this day and with a large number of sexual abuses themselves the victims of abuse by family members who had once been institutionalized.
* The Territory Minister for Health has agreed with the findings of an extensive report by the National Indigenous Drug and Alcohol Committee that massive savings can be made by diverting offenders into rehabilitation services instead of jail."

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WGAR: Working Group for Aboriginal Rights (Australia)
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