FUTURE DIRECTIONS: COURTS AND INDIGENOUS CULTURAL AWARENESS NATIONAL CONFERENCE 2002

Mr Kim Collard, Sharon Bedford and Dennis Eggington

Introduction Indigenous perspective of previous and

existing Cross-Cultural Awareness programs and initiatives from Western Australia

Presenters- Kim Collard: Curtin University of Tehnology

Sharon Bedford: AIJA Western Australia Dennis Eggington: CEO Aboriginal Legal

Service (W.A.)

Topics of Discussion Topic 1: Previous Aboriginal

Cross-Cultural Awareness workshops and effectiveness (K.C.)

Topic 2: What has happened since? (S.B. & D.E.)

Topic 3: Where to from here? (All)

Topic One Overview and evaluation of two

Aboriginal Cross Cultural Awareness Workshops for:

District and Supreme Court Judges (June 1998);and

Justice’s of the Peace (April 1999) How effective were these

workshops? Positive evaluation

Topic Two What has happened since? Delays in bureaucracy. Why? Current situation.

Topic Three Where to from here? A more succinct and coordinated approach by all

agencies involved in the judiciary CCA / Aboriginal Studies to be part of JP’s Training

Program and compulsory part of Legal Practitioners undergraduate university degree.

Identifying and eradicating institutional racism within the judiciary

Breaking down the barriers from within Workshop A - Future directions for Cross Cultural

Awareness programs Workshop B - Addressing Judicial Reservations about

Cross Cultural Awareness programs

Real Life Abolishment of Aboriginal Justice Council in

W.A. Institutional racism exists within the judiciary Recommendation 96 reads as follows; but How many of the 339 recommendations of

the RCIADIC have been implemented? Identifying periods of success and

understanding why with a focus on continued support?

What This Means Our people continue to die in

custody at an alarming rate

Next Steps After lunch we all need to be part

of a combined solution Contribute to the remainder of the

conference in an open and honest debate about the real issues at stake: People’s lives and people’s futures.