White heat: Blacks deaths

Even in States like Victoria which have done more than most in implementing the Royal Commission recommendations we still have major anomalies. Ten years after the Royal Commission recommended its decriminalisation, public drunkeness is still a criminal offence in Victoria.

About a quarter of all Aboriginal arrests in Victoria are for public drunkenness. As many of you would know Aboriginal peoples drink far less proportionately than non-Indigenous Australians but those that do tend to do so to excess. This is a social problem not one of criminality.

I hope I have demonstrated that there has been little action to address the fundamental issues raised by the Royal Commission. That is not to say there has not been a lot of talk.

Since the tabling of the Royal Commission, Federal and State governments have regularly provided reports on their progress towards implementing its recommendations. But Indigenous people were so concerned at the high levels of deaths in custody, an Indigenous Summit was held in Canberra in February, 1997 to discuss the failure of governments to resolve the underlying issues identified.

It was recommended these be discussed at a Summit of Commonwealth, state and territory ministers to be held in July of that year. The summit was attended by 20 Commonwealth, State and Territory ministers and Indigenous representatives. The enthusiasm to attend was not matched by a sense of urgency to get results.

The states and territories (with the exception of the Northern Territory) did agree to develop strategic plans for the coordination, funding and delivery of Indigenous programs and services.

The strategic plans would include 'working towards the development of multilateral agreements between commonwealth, state and territory governments and Indigenous peoples and organisations to further develop and delivery programs'.

This statement was signed by commonwealth, state and territory governments except the Northern Territory. But it contained no timetable and no benchmarks.

ATSIC and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner did not sign. We saw no point in signing an open ended document with no established process for accountability.

So the two main tasks identified by the Royal Commission remain.

* State and Territory authorities need to implement the recommendations of the Royal Commission and use gaol as a last resort - keep our people out of your prisons

* Governments need to redirect the resources, being used to keep our people in poverty, to support our efforts to manage our communities and find ways forward