30th Anniversary of the Royal Commission Aboriginal Deaths in Custody Report – Too Little and Too Late
Professor Thalia Anthony, Faculty of Law, University of Technology, Sydney
In this Kirby Seminar, Professor Thalia Anthony will look at the legacy of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (RCIADIC) which set down 339 recommendations to reduce First Nations deaths in custody. 30 years on, there have been almost 500 First Nations deaths in custody. This reflects the failure of governments to substantively implement the recommendations and address systemic racism in the penal system. Yet the Federal Government claims to have overwhelmingly implemented the recommendations. Its logic is based on an outsourced review of RCIADIC implementation by consultancy firm Deloitte Access Economics. This presentation will highlight how positivist assumptions in the Deloitte Review and in the academy broadly have hamstrung justice for First Nations, expanded carceral controls and misrepresented the progress on self-determination.
Thalia Anthony’s expertise is in the areas of criminal law and procedure and Indigenous people and the law, with a particular specialisation in Indigenous criminalisation and Indigenous community justice mechanisms. Her research is grounded in legal history and understandings of the colonial legacy in legal institutions. She has developed new approaches to researching and understanding the role of the criminal law in governing Indigenous communities and how the state regulates Indigenous-based justice strategies. Her research is informed by fieldwork in Indigenous communities and partnerships with Indigenous legal organisations in Australia and overseas. Dr Anthony’s research informs her teaching in terms of advancing strategies for Indigenous cultural competencies in Law curricular, Her research has had an impact on policy development and public debates in relation to remedies for wrongs inflicted on Indigenous peoples. Her work has been referred to in Senate committee reports, parliamentary debates, policy announcements and law reform committee reports.
Dr Anthony has also provided research for High Court cases, written submissions for United Nations committees, prepared and reviewed research briefs for the Attorney-Generals’ Indigenous Justice Clearinghouse, conducted research for the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and appeared before several parliamentary inquiries on Indigenous redress schemes. Dr Anthony’s scholarship is published in a number of books, including her influential monograph, Indigenous People, Crime and Punishment (Routledge 2013) and a book with Professor Harry Blagg, Decolonising Criminology (Palgrave 2016). She has strong connections with justice and advocacy groups, including UTS’ Jumbunna and Aboriginal legal services, and regularly provides expert opinion in the media and public debates.
Via Webinar Monday 20 September 2021 1pm AEST
If interested and to obtain a link, please register for this Kirby Seminar at:
