Politics with Michelle Grattan
News:Politics
Pat Turner, for decades a strong Aboriginal voice, is the lead convenor of the Coalition of Peaks, which brings together about 50 indigenous community peak organisations. In this role she is part of the negotiations for a new agreement on Closing the Gap targets.
Unlike the original Rudd government targets, the refreshed Closing the Gap agreement, soon to be finalised, will set out targets for progress on justice and housing.
But the issue is, how much progress should be the aim?
“We want to push the percentages of achievement much higher, but we are in a consensus decision-making process with governments … what the targets will reflect is what the governments themselves are prepared to commit to,” Turner says.
The Australian Black Lives Matter marches have focused attention on the very high rates of incarceration of Aboriginal people, often for trivial matters. In this podcast Turner canvasses both causes and solutions, advocating major changes to the justice system.
She points to “huge issues with drug and alcohol abuse”, with inadequate resourcing to deal with these problems.
She urges reform for sentencing arrangements for those charged with minor offences, criticising a system which imprisons people who cannot pay fines, or post bail. “It would be less expensive overall for the jurisdictions, and it would more beneficial to the community [if those people weren’t in prison]”. And she identifies the “the over-incarceration of women [as] a major concern.”
Among the changes needed, she says, is better training of police.
“Now I’m not saying that all the police behave badly - we have got outstanding examples of how the police work with our communities.” But “we just can’t wait for ad hoc ‘good guys’ to come out of the system and engage properly - we need wholesale reform of the police departments.”
Simon Birmingham and Jim Chalmers on a big spending budget
what should the budget do for women? Jennifer Westacott (BCA) and Michele O'Neil (ACTU)
former ASIO head David Irvine on the cyber threats Australia faces
military ‘watch-dog’ Neil James on Afghanistan, China, and Peter Dutton
Matt Canavan on Holgate, Di Bartolomeo, and John Andersen
Stephen Duckett on what's gone wrong with the rollout
Linda Burney on the treatment of Indigenous Women
Sussan Ley on being a woman in politics
Zali Steggall on Monday's march and Scott Morrison's response
Fleur Johns on the rule of law
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Patricia Sparrow on the Royal Commission into Aged Care
Former MP Kate Ellis on the culture in parliament house
David Littleproud on The Nationals and net zero
Anthony Albanese on his new frontbench, Joel Fitzgibbon, and Labor’s imminent workplace policy
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg on promising budget figures
Chief Scientist Alan Finkel on climate, energy and emissions
Asia-Pacific expert Bates Gill on China’s endgame
two views on increasing the super contribution
Defence expert Allan Behm on the background to the Brereton report
Joel Fitzgibbon on Labor climate policy and leadership
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free