ALSWA Submission to the Commonwealth Senate Scrutiny of Bills Committee – April 2010
This submission encourages the Senate Scrutiny of Bills Committee (‘the Committee’) to extend its role to specifically consider and address Australia’s international obligations in relation to the treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the specific impact proposed legislation will have on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the Legal Aid or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (ATSILS) implications of proposed legislation. ALSWA believes this is necessary as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples experience severe disadvantage in comparison to non-Aboriginal peoples in many ways. Consequently new legislation can have a disproportionately detrimental effect on their human rights. ALSWA notes Western Australian examples of legislation that operate to further disadvantage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples such as move-on notices, mandatory sentencing and the proposed stop and search laws.
Senate Scrutiny of Bills Committee – April 2010 – cwth.pdf (726.59Kb)
