Greetings from the Kimberley

Greetings from the far north.

The Joint Standing Committee on the Commissioner for Children and Young People is tasked with monitoring, reviewing and reporting to Parliament on the exercise of the functions of the Children’s Commissioner.

Part of the Commissioner’s role is to have special regard to the interests and needs of Aboriginal children and young people (Commissioner for Children and Young People Act 2006).  Recent studies have shown that Aboriginal children and children in remote areas are still disadvantaged across a broad range of educational and health outcomes.

At the moment we are visiting the Lombadina and Djarindjin communities on the Dampier Peninsula and meeting with respected female members of the Aboriginal community in Fitzroy Crossing.

I for one, certainly appreciate the opportunity to see first hand the issues confronting young people in regional and remote Aboriginal Communities.  This experience will also help inform myself and the other members of the Committee, enabling us to put into context these issues when reviewing the Commissioners activities, ensuring that sufficient emphasis is given to this provision of the Act.