Oceania Province Support Centre - Queensland

70 Kate Street (P.O. Box 923) Indooroopilly
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia 4068
Ph: +61 7 3327 2200, Fax: +61 7 3327 2222
Email:  click here

 

 

 

For details on Social Justice Workshops, click here
 
 
 

SOCIAL JUSTICE BULLETIN

 

            “EDMUND JUSTICE”   Vol 3, April 2005

 

“INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS – SOME HARD TRUTHS”

 

Facts About Indigenous People

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2001 Australian Indigenous population - 458,320

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126,00 Indigenous in QLD - 2nd highest Indigenous population

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Life expectancy - non-indigenous compared to Indigenous

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Women 82/63    Men 77/56

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Unemployment much higher than wider community

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About 45% of Indigenous men & 34% of Indigenous women die before age 45

 

Incarceration

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2002 - Indigenous imprisonment rate - 12 times higher than rate for non-Indigenous prisoners 

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2002 - Indigenous people comprised 20% of prison population

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1992 - Indigenous people comprised 14% of prison population.

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78% of Indigenous prisoners have been in prison before

 

Cape York Justice Study Report (2003) found Indigenous Australians exposed to higher levels of victimisation than wider community

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Aboriginal men - 4 times more likely to die from violent causes than non-Indigenous men

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Aboriginal women - 6.5 times more likely to die from violent causes than non-Indigenous women

(source: “Qld : Beautiful One Day, Perfect the Next” report into poverty & homelessness by Coralie Kingston)

 

 “An immediate demand of the reconciliation process is to address the dire social and economic circumstances that reveal how Indigenous people are disadvantaged”.

 (PEACE BE WITH YOU Statement by Australian Catholic Bishops, 2004)

 

Commemorative/historical Events

  1. May 25 - In 1997 “Bringing Them Home Report” released

  2. May 26 - In 1998 initiated National Healing Day (formerly Sorry Day)

  3. May 28 - In 1967 referendum granted citizenship & voting to Aboriginal people

  4. May 27 - June 3 National Reconciliation Week

 

Web links

http://www.abc.net.au/message/news/stories

http://www.reconciliation.org.au 

 

 

 

Past Volumes

Vol 1, February 2005     3RD WORLD POVERTY – The Other Tsunami

Vol 2, March 2005          STILL COOKING WITH GAS IN EAST TIMOR