Month: September 2006

The following information has been adapted from joint media releases by the Minster for Justice and Customs (14 July 2006) and the Australian Crime Commission (17 July 2006).

A National Indigenous Violence and Child Abuse Intelligence Task Force has been established. Led by the Australian Crime Commission (ACC), the task force is designed to address violence and child abuse in Indigenous communities. It will collect, analyse and disseminate information to Commonwealth, state and territory law enforcement agencies; providing a whole of government response. The initiative is resourced by the Commonwealth, states and territories and will have involvement from the Australian Federal Police, Australian Institute of Criminology, state and territory police forces and other agencies.

The objectives of the task force include:

• Improving the national coordination of the collection and sharing of information and intelligence on violence and child abuse in remote and urban Indigenous communities.
• Enhancing the national understanding of the nature and extent of violence and child abuse in remote and urban Indigenous communities.
• Providing intelligence and other advice to relevant Commonwealth, state and territory organisations on violence and child abuse in remote and urban Indigenous communities, including organised criminal involvement in drugs, alcohol, pornography and fraud.
• Conducting research into the impact of improved intelligence and information coordination and into the identification of good practice in the prevention, detection and responses to violence and child abuse in Indigenous communities.

• For further information:
  • National Indigenous Violence and Child Abuse Intelligence Task Force
    View media releases: Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and Justice and Customs (HTML) (14 July 2006)
  • National Indigenous Violence and Child Abuse Intelligence Task Force
    View media release: Australian Crime Commission (PDF – 317KB) (17 July 2006)
  • Australian Crime Commission
    View website

The following information has been adapted from media releases by QAIHC and ANTaRQLD (15 August 2006)

The signing of the historic Cape York Health Agreement means that Queensland health and the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing will transfer the management and decision making of essential primary health care services over to the Apunipima Cape York Health Council. This Deed of Commitment supports the philosophy of community control. It means that Indigenous communities will have more of a say in their own health and will be able to determine what health services are delivered and how they are delivered.

The Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC) supports this outcome and says that ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are in the best position to determine the best approach to addressing the health needs of their communities’. QAIHC is the peak body representing the Aboriginal and Islander community controlled health sector in Queensland. The Council makes a major contribution to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health policy. Its membership comprises some 20 community controlled health services.

• For further information:
  • Landmark agreement to boost Indigenous health in Cape York
    View media release: ANTaR Queensland (HTML) (15 August 2006)
  • ANTaR Queensland
    View website
• Contact details:
  • Ms Rachel Atkinson, Chairperson, QAIHC, ph: 07 3360 8444 or 0407 750844
  • Mr Adrian Carson, Chief Executive Officer, QAIHC, ph: 07 3360 8444 or 0438 117763