31 July 2001
A step in the
right direction
MCATSIA's proposed Bringing them home evaluation
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Dr William Jonas, today welcomed the Ministerial Council for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs (MCATSIA)'s agreement to an independent evaluation of responses to the Bringing them home Report.
However, Dr Jonas stressed the need for any new form of evaluation to exercise a higher degree of accountability and transparency than MCATSIA has provided so far.
Under MCATSIA's current arrangements, a ministerial council has been solely responsible for monitoring the governments' implementation of Bringing them home. This has not ensured the necessary level of independence from government and governments have not been compelled to evaluate or give information on their progress in any depth.
The arrangement has also failed to provide an appropriate avenue for peak Indigenous organisations and members of the stolen generations to raise concerns about implementation of the recommendations. Monitoring processes must maximise transparency and offer the opportunity for regular review by the broader community, including these groups. MCATSIA's latest proposal for an independent evaluation should provide an opportunity to address these concerns.
'A mechanism for fully independent evaluation of all government and non-government responses to Bringing them home in line with recommendation 2 of the Report would be a step in the right direction,' Dr Jonas said. 'To date, the needs of the stolen generation remain unmet.'
The inadequacy of government measures to meet the needs of those Indigenous people affected by forcible removal will be one of the major topics addressed at a national conference to facilitate public debate about reparations for the stolen generations. 'Moving Forward: Achieving Reparations for the Stolen Generations' will be hosted by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC), the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) and the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, on 15 16 August.
Other topics include: the importance of reparations; international law and models for reparations; the findings of a national consultation project on a reparations tribunal proposal; and government and church responses to the history and effects of forcible removal.
Media contact: Janine MacDonald (02) 9284 9880 or 0408 469 347
