Submission to the Australian Law Reform Commission Inquiry into Indigenous Incarceration Rates

• Main Authors: Van Geelen, Tess, Longton, Guy, Sukumar, Pragadesh, Raya, Ramisa, Lim, Kien, Desoe, Grace, Archbold, Caitlin
• Format: Report
• Language: unknown
• Published: The Light Bulb Exchange 2017
• Subjects: First Nations
• Online Access: https://eprints.qut.edu.au/110771/

The ongoing social injustices faced by Indigenous Australians comprise one of the greatest tragedies and failures of successive Australian governments. While commending the efforts of many individuals and institutions over the years in addressing this issue, including the Attorney- General in calling for this inquiry, we want to highlight that this area has been consistently and severely under-resourced both in a fiscal and culturally appropriate context. Australia has been built on the blood, sweat and tears of our Indigenous peoples. Our hospitals and public infrastructure have been funded by wages owed to unpaid Indigenous workers.1 And yet, First Nations peoples today are still not the primary agents behind many of the policies that affect them.