130207 – Treatment not prison for our mob: NACCHO Aboriginal Health News Alerts

* NACCHO Aboriginal Health News Alerts:
Treatment not prison for our mob
* The Wire: Jail costs far outweigh rehabilitation
* Tracker:
Jail should be a last resort for non-violent offenders: report
* AHRC: Social Justice Commissioner welcomes new report
* Greens Senators Rachel Siewert & Penny Wright:
Drug and alcohol treatments to reduce crime, boost health
* NITV News: Minister backs calls for Indigenous offenders’ rehab
* Let’s Talk’s Tiga Bayles interviews Gino Vumbaca & John Heron
* Background to Aboriginal imprisonment and Deaths in Custody

* NITV News:
Interview with Paddy Gibson on the ‘Close the Gap’ report

* Other articles

* NACCHO ABORIGINAL HEALTH NEWS ALERTS:
TREATMENT NOT PRISON FOR OUR MOB

– News Alert

NACCHO Aboriginal Health News Alerts:
Treatment not prison for our mob:
New landmark report reveals $111,000 can be saved per year
per offender by diverting non-violent Indigenous offenders
into treatment instead of prison
http://nacchocommunique.com/2013/02/04/treatment-not-prison-for-our-mobnew-landmark-report-reveals-111000-can-be-saved-per-year-per-offender-by-

diverting-non-violent-indigenous-offenders-into-treatment-instead-of-prison/
4 Feb 13: “A new landmark report clearly shows that
$111,000 can be saved per year per offender by diverting
non-violent Indigenous offenders into treatment instead of
prison. The major accounting firm Deloitte Access Economics
produced the extensive report for the National Indigenous
Drug and Alcohol Committee of the Australian National
Council on Drugs (Deloitte operates in over 150 countries
globally). Download media release and report extracts
[ http://www.naccho.org.au/download/aboriginal-health/nidac_report_release.pdf ]
… ”

See:

About Us – What is NACCHO?

About Us

“The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health
Organisation (NACCHO) is the national peak Aboriginal
health body representing Aboriginal Community Controlled
Health Services throughout Australia.”

– Related News

Koori Mail: Rehab rather than prison: report
[scroll down page] http://www.koorimail.com/index.php
4 Feb 13: “A NEW report says $111,000 could be saved every
year per offender by sending non-violent Aboriginal
offenders to rehab rather than prison. The report from the
National Indigenous Drug and Alcohol Committee was produced
by global accounting firm, Deloitte Access Economics, and
also revealed that a further $92,000 per offender could be
saved each year in the long term due to lower mortality and
better health.”

* THE WIRE: JAIL COSTS FAR OUTWEIGH REHABILITATION

– Audio Interview

The Wire: Jail costs far outweigh rehabilitation
Produced by Alexia Attwood
http://www.thewire.org.au/storyDetail.aspx?ID=9976
4 Feb 13: “Now the economic arguments support the moral
arguments – drug and alcohol rehabilitation produces far
more cost-effective and socially-effective results than
jail terms. Over $100,000 can be saved per year per person
by diverting non-violent Aboriginal and Torres Straight
Islander offenders with substance abuse problems into
treatment instead of prison. This is according to a new
report launched in Parliament House today, highlighting
that Indigenous people make up 26% of Australia’s adult
prison population, and that drug and alcohol rehabilitation
would help solve the route of this problem more than prison
sentences would. …
Featured in story:
* Gino Vumbaca
– Executive Director of the
Australian National Council on Drugs
* Selwyn Button
– Cheif Executive Officer of
Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Service”

See:

About The Wire
http://www.thewire.org.au/about.aspx
“The Wire is a daily current affairs program broadcast
exclusively on Community and Indigenous radio stations
around Australia.”

* TRACKER:
JAIL SHOULD BE A LAST RESORT FOR NON-VIOLENT OFFENDERS: REPORT

– News

newsTracker:
Jail should be a last resort for non-violent offenders: report
http://tracker.org.au/2013/02/jail-should-be-a-last-resort-for-non-violent-offenders-report/
4 Feb 13: “NATIONAL: Australian governments need to divert
much needed resources away from the prison system to
community based programs and services for non-violent
offenders to significantly reduce the over-representation
of Indigenous people in the penal system. A new report
says the move would benefit both governments and the
offenders. The report has been compiled by the accounting
firm Delloitte Access Economics on behalf of the National
Indigenous Drug and Alcohol Committee of the Australian
National Council on Drugs ” By Brian Johnstone

See:

Tracker – Stories by Brian Johnstone
http://tracker.org.au/author/brian/
“Brian Johnstone is a Walkley and Human Rights award
winning journalist, and is employed by the NSW Aboriginal
Land Council.”

About Tracker
http://tracker.org.au/about-us/
“Tracker is a monthly print publication, and also features
a daily news service online. It has a print run of 35,000
copies, making it by some margin Australia’s largest
Aboriginal-specific publication.”

* AHRC: SOCIAL JUSTICE COMMISSIONER WELCOMES NEW REPORT

– Media Release

Australian Human Rights Commission:
Social Justice Commissioner welcomes new report
http://humanrights.gov.au/about/media/media_releases/2013/6_13.html
4 Feb 13: “Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda today
welcomed the release of a report prepared for the
Australian National Council on Drugs which highlights that
state governments may be able to save more than $110,000
per person if courts ordered Indigenous peoples convicted
of a substance abuse related, non-violent offence into
rehabilitation instead of sending them to jail.
The report by Deloitte Access Economics also confirms that
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are
over-represented in jail and examines avenues to address
this over-representation.
“This is the second such report in days that confirms the
importance of addressing the causal factors and not just
the symptoms,” said Commissioner Gooda, referring to the
New South Wales Ombudsman’s report on child sexual abuse
in Aboriginal communities.
“This report shows the great benefits, both financial and
otherwise, of taking a justice reinvestment approach. This
is not a soft on crime approach. It is about addressing
the underlying issues which contribute to offending, such
as drug and alcohol dependency,” said the Social Justice
Commissioner. … ”

See:

About the Commission
http://humanrights.gov.au/about/index.html
“The Australian Human Rights Commission is the new name of
the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. The
Commission was established in 1986 by an act of the federal
Parliament. We are an independent statutory organisation
and report to the federal Parliament through the
Attorney-General.”

* GREENS SENATORS RACHEL SIEWERT & PENNY WRIGHT:
DRUG AND ALCOHOL TREATMENTS TO REDUCE CRIME, BOOST HEALTH

– Media Release

Drug and alcohol treatments to reduce crime, boost health
Greens Senator Rachel Siewert: http://rachel-siewert.greensmps.org.au/content/media-releases/drug-and-alcohol-treatments-reduce-crime-boost-health
Greens Senator Penny Wright: http://penny-wright.greensmps.org.au/content/media-releases/drug-and-alcohol-treatments-reduce-crime-boost-health
4 Feb 13: “The Australian Greens have backed calls to
divert non-violent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
offenders with substance use problems into rehabilitation
or treatment programs in place of prison terms.
“We need Federal leadership for a new approach across the
country to fix what is clearly a very broken system,” said
Australian Greens spokesperson on legal affairs, Senator
Penny Wright.
“We must address the underlying causes of disadvantage,
which mean many Aboriginal people do not have the same
opportunities and support as other Australians. …
Senator Rachel Siewert, Australian Greens spokesperson on
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health has also
renewed calls for investment in drug and alcohol treatment
for Aboriginal offenders, saying that treatment and
rehabilitation programs were essential for addressing the
underlying factors which lead to involvement with the
criminal justice system. … ”

See:

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Issues
Rachel Siewert: http://rachel-siewert.greensmps.org.au/portfolios/aboriginal-torres-strait-islander-issues
Penny Wright: http://penny-wright.greensmps.org.au/portfolios/aboriginal-torres-strait-islander-issues
“All Australians, including those living in remote
communities, have an equal right to essential government
services such as health, education, training, housing,
community infrastructure, employment support, and policing.”

About Rachel Siewert
http://rachel-siewert.greensmps.org.au/about
“Rachel is currently working to establish of a network of
marine sanctuaries around Australia, introduce much needed
reforms and improvements to aged care services, increase
funding for mental health and preventive health measures
nationwide and to improve the opportunities and life
expectancy of Indigenous Australians.”

About Penny Wright
http://penny-wright.greensmps.org.au/about
“As a lawyer, she often worked in the ‘little end’ of town,
with those who live on the margins of society – people on
low incomes, people with mental illnesses and people who
have been dealt a tough hand by life. Since taking her
Senate seat Penny has been elected to chair the Legal and
Constitutional Affairs References”

* NITV NEWS:
MINISTER BACKS CALLS FOR INDIGENOUS OFFENDERS’ REHAB

– Video

SBS World News:
Minister backs calls for Indigenous offenders’ rehab
Source: NITV News
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1733574/Minister-backs-calls-for-Indigenous-offenders-reha
4 Feb 13: “Indigenous Health Minister Warren Snowdon says
he supports calls for non-violent Indigenous offenders to
undergo rehabilitation instead of jail. A new report claims
governments could save up to $A111,000 per year for each
Indigenous offender moved out of prison and into treatment
programs. The report was commissioned by the Australian
National Council on Drugs and prepared by the accounting
firm Deloitte Access. Mr Snowdon says it makes sense.”

See:

NITV News:
http://www.nitv.org.au/index.cfm
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/specialcoverage/399/NITV-News
http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/#/Menu/News%20&%20Sport/NITV%20News/Latest

* LET’S TALK’S TIGA BAYLES INTERVIEWS GINO VUMBACA & JOHN HERON:

– Audio Interview

Indigenous radio station 98.9FM Brisbane:
Let’s Talk – Gino Vumbaca & John Heron
http://www.989fm.com.au/category/podcasts/lets-talk/
5 Feb 13: Tiga Bayles interviews Gino Vumbaca & John Heron
“Gino Vumbaca, Executive Director of
Australian National Council on Drugs
Dr John Heron, Former Queensland Senator and Minister for
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs
Indigenous people convicted of non-violent crimes should be
sent to treatment programs rather than prison.”
Listen to this interview on-line:
http://www.989fm.com.au/podcasts/lets-talk/gino-vumbaca-john-heron/

See:

Let’s Talk
http://www.989fm.com.au/category/podcasts/lets-talk/

About 989fm
http://www.989fm.com.au/about-989fm/
“To be an appropriate media service for the cultural and
economic independence of Indigenous people.”

* BACKGROUND TO ABORIGINAL IMPRISONMENT AND DEATHS IN CUSTODY:

Last updated: 31 January 2013

http://indymedia.org.au/2012/12/17/background-to-aboriginal-imprisonment-and-deaths-in-custody

* NITV NEWS:
INTERVIEW WITH PADDY GIBSON ON THE ‘CLOSE THE GAP’ REPORT

– Video

NITV News 5 Feb 13 (part 1):
Interview with Paddy Gibson on the ‘Close the Gap’ report
http://www.nitv.org.au/fx-program.cfm?pid=EA0DB231-0089-35B0-B3927D27D26945C5&pgid=243A1ED0-C496-38E0-3C6DA76F766F346F
[Paddy is interviewed 10 minutes into part 1.]

See:

NITV News:
http://www.nitv.org.au/index.cfm
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/specialcoverage/399/NITV-News
http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/#/Menu/News%20&%20Sport/NITV%20News/Latest

* OTHER ARTICLES:

– Video

SBS World News:
Five years on from apology to Stolen Generations
Source: NITV News
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1733962/Five-years-on-from-apology-to-Stolen-Generations
5 Feb 13: “Next week marks the fifth anniversary of the
apology to the Stolen Generations. NITV’s Malarndirri
McCarthy looks back at the historic event. On February 13,
2008, the images of our nation’s capital with thousands of
people gathered on the lawns of Parliament House were
etched into Australia’s memory. In the first sittings of
Kevin Rudd’s Labor Government, the new Prime Minister made
his mark with the historic apology to the Stolen
Generations across the country.”

– News

National Indigenous Radio Service:
Justice reinvestment won’t work: Report
http://www.nirs.org.au/news/latest-news/7812-justice-reinvestment-wont-work-report
5 Feb 13: “An academic says evidence has found
culturally-appropriate programs would not stop Indigenous
people from offending or re-offending. Sara Hudson from the
Centre for Independent Studies is the author of a new
report which looks into proposed justice reinvestment in
Indigenous communities. Justice reinvestment proposes to
redirect money spent on prisons into programs that combat
the underlying causes of offending in communities with
high crime rates.”

– Audio

Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association:
Cycle of sexual abuse has to be broken – NSW Ombudsman
http://caama.com.au/cycle-of-sexual-abuse-has-to-be-broken-nsw-ombudsman
5 Feb 13: “The flow on effects of sexual abuse suffered by
the Stolen Generations continues to this day… with large
number of sexual abusers identified as the victims of abuse
themselves. … ‘The Ombudsmans report on child sexual
abuse in Aboriginal communities called for urgent action
to improve the effectiveness of government service delivery
especially in high-need locations in remote parts of the
state.”

Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association:
http://caama.com.au/radio#tabs-6

5 Feb 13: “* The NSW ombudsman says the flow on effects of
sexual abuse suffered by the stolen generations continues
till this day and with a large number of sexual abuses
themselves the victims of abuse by family members who had
once been institutionalized.
* The Territory Minister for Health has agreed with the
findings of an extensive report by the National Indigenous
Drug and Alcohol Committee that massive savings can be made
by diverting offenders into rehabilitation services instead
of jail.”