Released 25/09/2025 - Joint media release
The ACT Government has announced a comprehensive and staged approach to addressing the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people within the ACT criminal justice system.
The interim response to the Jumbunna Institute’s Review into the Over-representation of First Nations People in the ACT Criminal Justice System, tabled in the Legislative Assembly today, outlines the government’s initial strategy to address the review’s highest priority recommendations. A further update will be provided in six months, with annual progress reports to follow.
The Jumbunna Report reinforced that over-representation is a complex issue requiring a coordinated whole of government and community partnership approach. It also noted the critical importance of the ACT’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in shaping an effective response.
The final report contains 99 recommendations across a broad spectrum of ACT Government responsibilities, including corrective services, policing, courts and sentencing, bail administration, youth justice, child protection, and education. These recommendations are grouped into two categories based on urgency and interdependence.
The first group of 45 recommendations has been identified for priority implementation. These are expected to lay the groundwork for broader reform or deliver the most immediate impact in reducing over-representation. The remaining 54 recommendations are considered longer-term and are dependent on the successful implementation of the first group.
The Jumbunna Report emphasised that a foundational priority is the establishment of an appropriate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led governance arrangement to oversee the implementation of its recommendations. Through its interim response, the ACT Government has committed to working in partnership with the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body and relevant Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs), in line with Priority One of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.
The report also highlighted the importance of building on existing programs and services, including youth justice and child protection initiatives, the Galambany Court, bail support programs, post-release support, and detainee rehabilitation programs. The report’s insights into effective initiatives will inform future government decision making.
While responding to the priority recommendations, the ACT Government will continue to progress existing initiatives and implement recommendations from other reviews such as the Office for the ACT Inspector of Custodial Services Healthy Centre Review of Bimberi Youth Justice Centre 2024 to lift the quality of services provided to people engaged with the justice system. This also includes commitments under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Agreement 2019-2028, and the establishment of the Board of Inquiry into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths at the Alexander Maconochie Centre.
This staged and collaborative approach is designed to uphold human rights, build trust, and most importantly, deliver meaningful outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the ACT justice system.
- Statement ends -
Yvette Berry, MLA | Dr Marisa Paterson, MLA | Tara Cheyne, MLA | Suzanne Orr, MLA | Michael Pettersson, MLA | Media Releases