ANTaR's work focuses on a range of issues impacting on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. These issues have been listed separately, however many of them are complex, interrelated and have multiple causes.

Why are these issues important? Because unless they are resolved, we will never achieve a just and reconciled Australia.

Federal Election 2010

During the election campaign, ANTaR closely monitored election announcements on Indigenous policy issues.

We have published a range of resources to help you assess the major parties' Indigenous election policy platforms and make an informed decision on election day.

More information

A Better Way

On Monday 21st June 2010, the Senate passed legislation which partially restores the racial discrimination protections in the NT and establishes a new compulsory income management scheme.

ANTaR is concerned that this legislation does not fully implement the Government's commitment to reinstating the Racial Discrimination Act.

Despite the weak evidence base and the high cost, the legislation will expand income management to Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians living in urban, rural and remote areas in the NT, with a view to a national roll-out after two years.

The bill and the Senate Community Affairs Committee report can be viewed here.

In their current form, the Government's draft guidelines would have the effect that a majority of income support recipients will be affected. This is because of proposed financial hardship tests, which are likely to capture a much broader group of people than the Government's previous policy statement indicated.

The draft guidelines are available on the FaHCSIA website.

Read ANTaR's submission to the draft guidelines ANTaR's submission, June 2010 (PDF 51k) and find out more information about the NTER.

Are we there yet?

In 1991 the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation (CAR) launched a decade of Reconciliation which saw a surge in momentum towards Aboriginal justice and increased public support for the reconciliation process.

The decade of reconciliation concluded in 2000 with the release of the CAR's final report. Sadly, many of its recommendations were dismissed by the Government.

Since then some important progress has been made towards recognising Indigenous rights and the need for justice.

NT intervention

ANTaR believes that the approach of the Northern Territory Intervention is flawed. Breaching the Racial Discrimination Act is no way to protect children. For that reason, we support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Tom Calma's 10-point plan to take the racism out of the intervention.

ANTaR's A Better Way campaign reminds people that Aboriginal lives are still being controlled in the Northern Territory.

Photo: Protest against the NT intervention. © Leo in Canberra.

Reconciliation

Reconciliation is a process where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, non-Indigenous Australians and Australian governments forge a new relationship based on mutual understanding, recognition and respect.

Ten years after the historic bridge walks and Corroboree 2000, ANTaR has launched a year of recommitment to reconciliation. In 2010, we are asking Are we there yet?, to celebrate how far we have come on the reconciliation journey, but also to remind governments and the community that the journey is not over. We are seeking to reignite public enthusiasm for reconciliation through a range of public campaigns and activities, focusing especially on tangible outcomes such as the campaign for treaty.

ANTaR's Respect campaign calls on individuals to commit to a new relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

The Sea of Hands is ANTaR's long-running reconciliation campaign. Over 300,000 Australians have added a hand since 1997.

Health

An Aboriginal child born in 2009 will still, on average, live for 17 years less than a non-Aboriginal child. Closing the Indigenous life expectancy gap is one of ANTaR's priority campaign areas. We have been working in this area for over 5 years.
* Racism Makes Me Sick campaign
* Success stories in Indigenous health
* Close The Gap campaign
* COAG's closing the gap approach

Prisons and policing

To prevent Aboriginal deaths in custody we need to tackle the reasons why so many Aboriginal people are in prison in the first place.

Later this year, ANTaR will be launching a major new campaign encouraging our state governments to build up communities, rather than condemning so many Aboriginal people to prison.

Constitutional Change and human rights protection

ANTaR supports enactment of a national human rights act that particulalry protects the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.

In addition, ANTaR believes that constitutional change is essential to ensuring that the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are fully protected. Without this legal guarantee Aboriginal Australians, who make up less than 3% of our population, will continue to be subject to the whims of party politics.

Eliminating violence and abuse

ANTaR considers that Australian Governments have a responsibility to intervene to protect their citizens in danger from violence and abuse. This is particularly the case in relation to Aboriginal children, who have been found by numerous reports to have a greater risk of being abused than non-Aboriginal children.

Photo: Domestic Violence. CC william c hutton jr.

Stolen Generations

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd delivered a national apology to the Stolen Generations on behalf of the Federal Parliament on 13 February 2008.

While ANTaR whole-heartedly welcomed this apology, we are campaigning the government to implement all the recommendations of the Bringing Them Home report.

Photo: The Sea of Hands and Sorry skywriting. © ANTaR.

Stolen wages

For decades, state and federal governments in Australia did not pay the wages and entitlements of Aboriginal people who were under their care and protection. In most parts of Australia, Aboriginal workers and their decedents are yet to be paid these "stolen wages".

The unresolved issue of stolen wages remains one of the nation's greatest barriers to reconciliation and justice for indigenous people.

Native Title and land rights

ANTaR believes that the Native Title and the Northern Territory Land Rights Acts should be reformed to restore land justice for Indigenous people and the timely resolution of claims.

We also support the introduction of a social justice package as promised by former Prime Minister, Paul Keating in his response to the High Court's Mabo decision on Native Title. Following the election of the Howard government, this social package was abandoned.

Photo: land rights plaque which can be purchased from ANTaR.

Self-determination

ANTaR believes that self-determination - or the ability of Aboriginal people to freely determine their own political, economic, social and cultural development - is essential to overcoming Indigenous disadvantage.

Employment and economic development

Meaningful jobs and economic development are essential to Aboriginal self-determination. Employment is also crucial to overcoming poor health, homelessness and family violence. Aboriginal children who's parents are employed also have a far greater chance of succeeding at school.

Education

ANTaR believes education is vital to overcoming Indigenous disadvantage and achieving reconciliation in Australia.

Photo: Remote Education, Arnhem Land, Australia. © Rusty Stewart.

Housing

ANTaR believes that ensuring first world standards of housing for the first Australians is one of the nation's greatest challenges. A much higher proportion of Indigenous people live in overcrowded conditions than other Australians. Poor housing is a contributor to poor health, poor educational outcomes and family violence.

Links to websites where you can find further information

We have created a list of links to websites that are relevant to Indigenous issues using a website called del.icio.us. The more websites that we have bookmarked that relate to a particular word, the larger that word appears below. If you click on a particular word, you will be able to see all the websites we have bookmarked that are relevant to that word.

If you have a del.icio.us account, add ANTaR to your network.