With a Senate Committee into the Juukan Gorge crisis due to conclude today, the Greens have announced a comprehensive $767 million ‘Caring for Country’ plan to expand protections for Indigenous areas and sacred sites, fund more First Nations ranger programs and legislate environmental personhood to areas of First Nations significance - ensuring that future crises’ like that at Juukan are avoided. 

The West Australian Labor party has passed a motion to raise the age of legal responsibility to 14 at their State conference. The Greens spokesperson for Justice and First Nations: Gunnai, Gunditjmara and DjabWurrung Senator Lidia Thorpe has called it, “A step in the right direction.”

“It’s good to see WA Labor listening to the evidence from the Australian Medical Association, the United Nations Human Rights Council and adopting the Greens policy. Children belong in classrooms and playgrounds, not in handcuffs, courtrooms or prison cells.

Staff at the Alexander Maconochie Correctional Centre have breached the Australian Capital Territory Human Rights Act, after forcibly strip searching a First Nations woman and sexual assault survivor. The woman has multiple lung and heart problems, the latter requires a pacemaker.

A review found that there was no legal basis for the ACT’s mandatory search policies.

Comment from DjabWurrung, Gunnai and Gunditjmara Senator for Victoria Lidia Thorpe, the Greens spokesperson for Justice and First Nations:

With the confirmation of new Senator for Western Australia Dorinda Cox today, Greens Leader, Adam Bandt, has put the Greens on election footing with a reshuffle of the Greens’ ‘shadow Ministerial’ portfolios that prioritises the party’s key campaign areas and sets the party up for ‘balance of power’ negotiations in the likely event of a minority Parliament. 

A third First Nations person has died from COVID-19 in less than two-weeks. This comes as infections in western New South Wales have ballooned to 885 and 63% of cases are First Nations people.

Comment from Senator Lidia Thorpe, the Greens First Nations Spokesperson:

“First Nations people are in mourning because the Morrison government failed to follow their own guidelines and treat First Nations vaccinations as a priority. This level of incompetence and neglect is having devastating impacts on our communities.

“What do the NSW government want? More deaths in custody? Why aren't they applying safe decarceration strategies for non-violent offenders?” Said Greens Justice and First Nations spokesperson: DjabWurrung, Gunnai and Gunditjmara Senator for Victoria Lidia Thorpe.

"NATSILS and other justice advocates called for this over 12 months ago. We knew this was a risk then and now we're at a crisis point.

The second First Nations person to die from COVID-19 has passed away in Dubbo Hospital, this comes after an Aboriginal man in his 50’s died from COVID-19 on August 30.

Comment from Senator Lidia Thorpe, Australian Greens First Nations Spokesperson
“First Nations people have the right to live their lives without the negligent and incompetent Morrison government exposing them to disease,” said DjabWurrung, Gunnai and Gunditjmara Senator for Victoria Lidia Thorpe.

Lorraine Finlay had been appointed as the nation's new Human Rights Commissioner. Formerly an upper house candidate for the West Australian Liberals and president of the state’s Liberal women’s council, Finlay was appointed to the role without it being advertised. 

This could affect the Australian Human Rights Council’s “A status” with the United Nations.

Comment from Senator Lidia Thorpe, The Greens Justice and First Nations Spokesperson

The Greens say that the Government's approach to vaccinating First Nations people, disabled people and aged care residents, has been unacceptable and once again led to a tragic death that could have been prevented if adequate planning and support for experts was given when it was asked for.

Communities should not have to be begging for support, Greens spokesperson on Health Senator Rachel Siewert said. 

The Labor and Liberal parties have voted to pass the Surveillance Legislation Amendment (Identify and Disrupt) Bill 2020 which makes three new warrants available to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC). 

Network activity warrants allow the AFP or ACIC to monitor online activity, without investigating or accusing a person of a crime. Account takeover warrants enable police to take over an account and change their data, which could then be used as evidence in a criminal proceeding.