The Western Australian Aboriginal Justice Agreement (AJA) is about working in partnership with Aboriginal communities to ensure that Aboriginal people experience the same justice outcomes as other Western Australians.

Aboriginal people are significantly over-represented in the criminal justice system, both as victims and offenders. While Aboriginal people represent only 3% of the State’s population they make up some 40% of prisoners and 73% of juvenile detainees. In addition, they are five times more likely to be a victim of a violent crime than non-Aboriginal people.

The AJA is a planning framework that brings together Aboriginal people and government and non-government agencies to identify and address justice issues at a local, regional and state level.

The AJA aims to address the specific needs of Aboriginal communities while improving the effectiveness of justice-related programs through a coordinated approach to planning and service delivery. The three planned outcomes of the AJA are:

1. Safe and sustainable communities
2. Reduction in the number of victims of crime
3. Reduction of over-representation of Aboriginal people in the criminal justice system

The AJA will create a series of justice forums across WA which will be responsible for creating one state, 10 regional and 56 local justice plans.

Government signatories to the Aboriginal Justice Agreement:

• Department of the Attorney General
• Department for Child Protection
• Deparment for Communities
• Department of Corrective Services
• Department of Indigenous Affairs
• Western Australia Police.

Non-government signatories to the Aboriginal Justice Agreement:

• WA Aboriginal Legal Service

Local justice forum meetings are attended by managers from the signatory agencies and other government and non-government organisations, and nominated representatives from the local Aboriginal community.

Aboriginal representatives are selected through a community based process. Individuals and members of local Aboriginal organisations are asked to nominate potential representatives and final membership is decided by community consensus. The guiding principles of the AJA make inclusion of elders, youth and women a vital part of the process.

The administration of the AJA is managed by a dedicated AJA team at the Department of the Attorney General.

Aboriginal Justice Agreement
Aboriginal Services
Level 10
141 St Georges Terrace
PERTH  WA 6000
Telephone: (08) 9264 6105
Facsimile: (08) 9264 6114
Email: aja@justice.wa.gov.au