The Victorian Aboriginal Justice Agreement is a long-term partnership between the Aboriginal community and the Victorian Government. Each phase of the AJA has built upon its predecessors to further improve justice outcomes for Aboriginal people.

The AJA is the longest-running agreement of its kind in Australia and has enabled the establishment of significant initiatives. Professor Chris Cunneen, a leading criminologist specialising in Indigenous justice, noted in his 2010 study into the role of Indigenous Justice Agreements nationally, that “the Victorian AJA structure has been independently evaluated, with Indigenous input, as being effective in building, and embodying the goals of effective partnerships.”

Victorian Aboriginal Justice Agreement Phase 1

Action to improve justice outcomes has its origins in the 1991 report of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and the subsequent 1997 National Ministerial Summit into Indigenous Deaths in Custody, held to review implementation of Royal Commission recommendations. The first phase of the Victorian Aboriginal Justice Agreement (AJA1) was produced in direct response to the summit resolution to develop strategic planning, program delivery and monitoring frameworks in each jurisdiction, aimed at reducing Aboriginal contact with the criminal justice system.

AJA1 set out aims, strategies, principles, roles and responsibilities of its signatories, forming the basis for achieving equity between the government and the Aboriginal community. It also identified key results for monitoring and evaluation and embarked on a range of projects and systemic reforms. AJA1 was accompanied by an action plan containing 51 initiatives clustered around the six primary objectives of:

• Community participation
• Development of culturally appropriate programs and services
• Development of a coordinated and strategic approach
• Delivery of fair and equitable justice services
• Increasing community safety, security and wellbeing
• Reducing the risk for Aboriginal children and youth.