1. Current actions:
Topic Sentence: “Effectiveness of initiatives for addressing contemporary issues in Aboriginal criminal statistics and housing sector”
1.1 Increase in crime statistics in Aboriginal communities:
1.1.1 National Crime Prevention Program
The recognition of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation (CAR) which was approved in November 2002 by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) could be accounted as a major national initiative to induce an improvement in the crime statistics noted in Aboriginal communities in the US (Anao.gov.au, 2017). The priority of the initiative was directed towards increasing the investments in community leadership and government initiatives, review and reforms in the services and programs to ensure the provision of support to families, young people, and children about family violence, alcohol dependency, community dysfunction, and drug dependency and the formation of prolific links among the indigenous communities and business sector for promoting economic independence. The Australian government’s initiative in this case could be observed in the combined efforts from all Australian state governments towards the formation of a comprehensive regime that can support the monitoring and reporting aspects under the COAG framework approved in 2000 (Anao.gov.au, 2017). The emphasis of the regime on key elements such as regularly updated reports on indigenous disadvantages and the different benchmarks and monitoring strategies for sectorial performance could be accounted as major actions which could improve crime statistics in Aboriginal communities. The aspect of reducing crime levels among indigenous populations is accounted as a formidable priority of the Australian government for which the implementation of a National Crime Prevention Program can be considered a notable example (Capobianco, Shaw & Dubuc, 2003). The focus of the government on the identification and promotion of novel approaches for reducing levels of crime and the apprehensions for crime among individuals is evident in the national initiative assumed by the states for improvement in Aboriginal crime statistics.
1.1.2 Mission Australia:
Another initiative that has been implemented on a territorial level can be observed in the post-release program through Mission Australia. The reintegration service was developed in the Northern Territory in January 2010 at Alice Springs Correctional Centre and Darwin Correctional Centre. The initiative is aimed to provide support services for juvenile offenders and prisoners when they are released from custody (Lee et al., 2009). The correctional program is liable to experience issues with the assistance for the offenders to regain standing in society, probabilities for repeated crime, and limited timeframe for the support. Therefore the involvement of support networks and agencies could be helpful to ensure the smooth reintegration of the offenders into the community.
1.2 Housing concerns for Aboriginal communities:
The housing initiatives which have been implemented in Australia for the Aboriginal community include the Build and Grow Strategy and the Fixing Houses for Better Health (FHBH) program. The FHBH program is aimed at improving the housing facilities for indigenous communities to address health concerns (Lee et al., 2009). The initiative is small in scale and is limited to individual household levels in specific indigenous communities and groups. The initiative primarily comprises of assessment of the housing property of indigenous people and inducing necessary repairs according to standard methodology.
1.2.2 Build and Grow Strategy:
The Build and Grow Strategy is also accounted as a promising initiative for improving the housing concerns for Aboriginal people. The initiative comprises of quality improvement in the Aboriginal housing sector through backlog maintenance of eligible houses and provision of operating subsidies (Porter, 2009).
The outcomes of the individual initiative could be observed as follows:
- National initiatives such as National Crime Prevention Program in unison with the CAR prove to be successful in the reduction of major crime statistics in family violence, and drug and alcohol abuse.
- The correctional strategies implemented on territorial levels accounted for the integration of offenders released from custody into the community based on their skills and social competencies.
- The Build and Grow Strategy accounted for positive benefits such as effective quality houses and cost-effectiveness.
- The FHBH program is considered successful by ensuring safety standards, healthy living practices, and quality control measures in the Aboriginal housing sector.
2.0 Summary and Conclusion:
2.1 Summary
The report illustrated current initiatives that are adopted in context of the Aboriginal housing concerns and crime statistics. The initiatives which were adopted in the context of the objective of improving crime statistics in the Aboriginal community were successful in improving the involvement of Aboriginal individuals in the existing social framework in Australia and provision of government support for the strategies. The initiatives in the context of housing concerns are observed in the FHBH program and the Build and Grow Strategy was also reviewed in the report alongside the impacts drawn from the initiatives.
2.2 Conclusion:
My personal opinion regarding the research reflects the fact that a large share of the performance of initiatives implemented for housing concerns and improvement of crime statistics in Aboriginal communities is attributed to the support of the Australian government.
2.3 Future Implications:
Regarding the research, the personal perspective suggests that the provision of increasing investments in research on strategic approaches to ensure the reintegration of offenders in the social framework would be assumed as the next feasible action to resolve the issues of improving crime statistics in Aboriginal communities. The initiatives about housing concerns should be complemented with the provision of appropriate support systems for the maintenance of the constructions and to improve the involvement of Aboriginal housing management agencies.
3. Bibliography
Anao.gov.au. (2017). Indigenous Housing Initiatives the Fixing Houses for Better Health program | Australian National Audit Office. [online] Available at: https://www.anao.gov.au/work/performance-audit/indigenous-housing-initiatives-fixing-houses-better-health-program [Accessed 28 Sep. 2017].
Capobianco, L., Shaw, M. and Dubuc, S., 2003. Crime prevention and indigenous communities: Current international strategies and programs. International Centre for the Prevention of Crime.
Lee, K.K., Conigrave, K.M., Clough, A.R., Dobbins, T.A., Jaragba, M.J. and Patton, G.C., 2009. A five-year longitudinal study of cannabis users in three remote Aboriginal communities in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia. Drug and Alcohol Review, 28(6), pp.623-630.
Porter, R., 2009. From community housing to public housing in Northern Territory remote Aboriginal communities: the policy context. Alice Springs: Desert Knowledge CRC.
