ANTaR has today congratulated the Federal Government on its positive response to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs report, Doing Time – A Time for Doing.

“ANTaR congratulates the Federal Government for recognising that the over- imprisonment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people is a national crisis and agreeing to take urgent action in partnership with State and Territory Governments”, said Ms Jacqueline Phillips, ANTaR National Director.

ANTaR is concerned that security arrangements in place for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) will impact disproportionately on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Perth and exacerbate the crisis of over-imprisonment.

The bi-annual Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) officially opens today in Perth. In the lead up to the meeting, 700 additional police have been stationed around the city.

Delivering the 25th Lionel Murphy lecture last night, the Attorney-General Robert McClelland acknowledged that over-imprisonment causes more crime than it prevents and affirmed the need for all governments to work together to address the social causes of crime.

“The statistics are stark and the evidence about what works to break the cycle is compelling. There is no excuse for governments to delay action to address the social causes of over-imprisonment in Aboriginal communities,” said Jacqueline Phillips, ANTaR National Director.