Indigenous Social Justice Association — Melbourne Supporters Group

Who we are and what we stand for

The Indigenous Social Justice Association — Melbourne Supporters Group (ISJA – MSG) was established in January 2005 to organise a Melbourne rally and march as part of a National Day of Action to mark the first anniversary of the death of Redfern teenager, TJ Hickey, and to demand a fresh inquiry into the circumstances surrounding his death.

ISJA – MSG is an autonomous, activist group — open to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people — which works collaboratively with the Indigenous Social Justice Association Incorporated (ISJA) and others working to stop Indigenous deaths in custody.

ISJA (MSG) works within the broad framework of the 11 objectives outlined in section 3 of the ISJA constitution.

These objectives are:

1. Monitor the circumstances surrounding the deaths in Indigenous people in custodial and other state institutions.

2. Responding to cases of abuse of the Human Rights in individual Indigenous people.

3. Initiating change to aspects of State and Federal legal systems which cause, or contribute to, the abuse of the Human Rights of Indigenous people.

4. Acting to reduce the over-representation of Indigenous people in custodial and other State institutions.

5. Investigating and advocating for the abolition of abuses of the Human rights of individual Indigenous people and their Families.

6. Assisting other Indigenous Services in the achievement of their objectives where they coincide with those of the Association.

7. Providing educational material and initiating campaigns for the promotion of the above objectives.

8. Carrying out research relevant to the above objectives.

9. Seeking funding from appropriate sources to further the above objectives.

10. Establishing connections with national and international groups and individuals in order to widen support for the Association and purposes.

11. To assist with the above Objectives, ISJA will operate in all relevant Social Justice areas that affect Indigenous People.

ISJA (MSG) recognises that the struggle to end Indigenous deaths in custody cannot be separated from the wider campaign for Indigenous rights. This is why we also work to advance campaigns to recognise the Sovereignty of Australia’s many Indigenous nations and the negotiation of genuine treaties with these nations.

ISJA (MSG) calls for:

• A massive reduction in the rate in Indigenous imprisonment which is currently 13 times to the rate for non-Indigenous Australians.

• The full implementation of the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, including those Recommendations that both arrest and imprisonment be the sanctions of last resort.

Because near 50% of the deaths in custody investigated were of the stolen generations, that we call for the full implementation of the recommendations of the bringing them home report.

• The establishment of elected community based review boards with the full legal and legislative powers to investigate, discipline and charge police, prison and custodial health officers found to be involved in a death in custody, negligence or lack of duty of care to those they have a responsibility to and for. This is to include all juvenile justice areas.

• The provision by State and Federal Governments of adequate funding for Families who have lost a loved one in custody to meet at a state/territory level followed by a national meeting, as required, to allow their collective demands to be formulated, including suitable and adequate compensation.

We welcome new people to get actively involved in the campaign.

We meet Wednesday evenings at Solidarity Salon, 580 Sydney Road, Brunswick.

Call 9388-0062 for details of our next meeting.