The Law and Justice Hub has been commissioned by the ACT Government to undertake an Independent Review into the Over-Representation of First Nations People in the ACT Criminal Justice System.

First stage

The first stage of this Review assesses ACT Government progress in implementing the 35 recommendations in the Australian Law Reform Commission’s 2017 Pathways to Justice Report aimed at addressing over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.  

Our findings from the First Stage of our Review are set out in our  First Report (PDF, 1.8MB), and summarised in an Executive Summary (PDF, 265kB) and Community Guide (PDF, 253kB). Findings were also shared at a Webinar event hosted by Jumbunna in September 2024. You can watch the recording here: Stage 1 - First Report Webinar Recording. 

Second stage

The second stage of the Review focuses on strategies and recommendations prioritised by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the ACT as likely to reduce overrepresentation in the criminal legal system (in addition to the ALRC recommendations).

In total, we conducted 68 recorded dialogues/interviews with 175 individual participants and 71 different community organisations, legal services and government agencies, including:

  • 55 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members, including:
  • 4 community dialogues with a total of 33 male and female participants
  • 5 interviews/yarning circles with a total of 16 men and women detained in the AMC and 6 young people (male and female) in Bimberi  
  • 16 participants from 12 different Aboriginal organisations, including two written submissions.
  • 18 participants (both First Nations and non-Indigenous) from 12 different other/non-Indigenous organisations, including relevant community organisation and legal services, peak bodies and statutory authorities.
  • 88 participants (both First Nations and non-Indigenous) from 47 different ACT government agencies and courts and tribunals. 

Our findings from the Second Stage of our Review are set out in our Final Report (PDF 5.5MB), and summarised in an Executive Summary (PDF 1.7MB) and User Guide (PDF 1.2MB). Findings were also shared at a Webinar event hosted by Jumbunna in September 2025. You can watch the recording here: Stage 2 – Final Report Webinar Recording. 

For any enquiries, contact us at ACTreview@uts.edu.au