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| Change the Record | |
|---|---|
| Name | Change the Record |
| Formation | 2015 |
| Type | Coalition |
| Headquarters | Sydney, Australia |
| Region served | Australia |
| Purpose | Advocacy for Indigenous policy reform |
| Key people | Mick Gooda; Megan Davis; Noel Pearson |
Change the Record
Change the Record is an Australian advocacy coalition formed in 2015 to address Indigenous policy outcomes through legal, policy and political avenues. It brought together Indigenous leaders, lawyers, community organisations and human rights advocates to influence national discourse on justice, welfare and self-determination across Australia. The coalition allied with prominent legal figures, non-governmental organisations and parliamentarians to pursue systemic reforms affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Change the Record emerged amid heightened public attention to Indigenous incarceration and youth detention following high-profile inquiries and media coverage linked to incidents in New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory. Foundational contributors included Indigenous leaders associated with the Australian Human Rights Commission, academics connected to the University of Sydney, legal practitioners from the Law Council of Australia and community groups with histories alongside the Aboriginal Legal Service and Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service. The coalition built on earlier campaigns such as those associated with the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody legacies, and intersected with national dialogues prompted by reports from the Australian Institute of Criminology and advocacy by organisations like the Australian Council of Social Service.
Change the Record set out multiple objectives focused on reducing over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in adult and juvenile detention, promoting culturally appropriate diversionary programs, and advancing treaty and constitutional recognition debates. The coalition called for legislative and policy change influenced by Human Rights principles articulated in instruments like the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and reports by bodies such as the United Nations Human Rights Council. It sought cross-party support from members of the Australian Labor Party, Liberal Party of Australia, Australian Greens and regional representatives including those from the Katter's Australian Party and independents. Objectives included strengthening community-controlled organisations such as the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples and supporting evidence-based interventions promoted by institutes like the Lowitja Institute and Menzies School of Health Research.
Activities encompassed public advocacy, policy submissions, strategic litigation support, and coalition-building with legal aid networks and community-controlled services. Change the Record coordinated national campaigns that referenced findings from inquiries including those by the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory and policy frameworks advanced by the Productivity Commission. It engaged stakeholders ranging from state attorneys-general in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia to national human rights advocates tied to the Australian Human Rights Commission and international rapporteurs. Campaigns promoted diversionary justice models informed by comparative work from jurisdictions such as Canada and the United States, citing community programs linked to organisations like the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency and research produced by universities including the Australian National University and the University of Melbourne.
The coalition operated as a networked organisation rather than a formal charity, with a coordinating body composed of Indigenous leaders, legal directors and policy advisers. Key figures included Indigenous advocates with affiliations to institutions such as the Australian Institute of Criminology, the Lowitja Institute and the National Native Title Tribunal. Funding sources were a mix of philanthropic grants from foundations, pro bono legal assistance from firms associated with the Law Council of Australia, and support from community organisations like the Aboriginal Legal Service of New South Wales and the ACT and state-based Aboriginal health services. Collaborative partnerships involved universities, think tanks such as the Grattan Institute, and international human rights bodies including engagements with the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
Supporters included Indigenous leaders and peak bodies, legal advocates, human rights organisations, and sections of the media sympathetic to reform-oriented agendas. Endorsements came from figures associated with the Community Legal Centres Australia, the Australian Council for International Development, and parliamentary advocates within the Australian Labor Party and Australian Greens. Critics argued the coalition's approach risked politicisation and clashed with law-and-order constituencies in state governments such as those led by conservative premiers in Queensland and Western Australia. Controversies arose around proposals for sentencing law reform and youth justice diversion, attracting debate from policing bodies like state police commissioners and corrections ministers. Disputes also surfaced over the balance between community control and government-driven programs, echoing tensions familiar from negotiations over native title mediated by the National Native Title Tribunal.
Change the Record influenced policy conversations at federal and state levels, contributing to amendments in diversionary funding priorities and prompting parliamentary inquiries referencing coalition submissions. Its advocacy informed public reports by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and featured in media coverage by national outlets that engaged commentators from institutions such as the Lowitja Institute, the Australian National University and the University of Technology Sydney. While its long-term impacts on incarceration statistics and treaty progress remain contested, the coalition succeeded in consolidating a network linking Indigenous leadership, legal advocacy and policy research across Australia, shaping debates involving the Commonwealth of Australia, state legislatures and international human rights forums.
Category:Indigenous Australian organisations Category:Advocacy groups in Australia