Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner & Acting Race Discrimination Commissioner

Dr William Jonas, AM

Dr Bill Jonas is a Worimi man from the Karuah River area of New South Wales. Dr Jonas was appointed Australia's second Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner in April 1999. He has a five year term. He is also the Acting Race Discrimination Commissioner. His current term in that capacity is due to expire in February 2003.Until his appointment, Dr Jonas was Director of the National Museum of Australia. From 1991 until 1996,he was Principal of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies in Canberra. DrJonas comes from an academic background. Before becoming Director of Aboriginal Education at Newcastle University in 1990, he was senior lecturer in geography at the University of Newcastle and before that he lectured at the University of Papua New Guinea. In 1980 he was awarded a PhD by the University of PNG for research into Papua New Guinea's timber industry.

In the mid-1980s Dr Jonas was a Royal Commissioner on the Royal Commission into British Nuclear Tests in Australia with the late Justice Jim McClelland. He has held positions on the Immigration Review Tribunal, the Australian Heritage Commission and the State of the Environment Advisory Council. He chaired the Joint Ministerial Taskforce on Aboriginal Heritage and Culture in NSW and the Heritage Council of the ACT. He is a long standing member of Newcastle's Awabakal Aboriginal Co-operative and has been both Director and Chair of its Board.

Dr Jonas has worked tirelessly in the community sector since the early 1980s. His awards include membership of the Order of Australia (AM) 1993, Honorary Doctorate of the University of Newcastle 1998, Professional Excellence Medal of Convocation of the University of Newcastle 1999, and the Professional Service Commendation of the Institute of Australian Geographers 1999.

The major functions of the Commissioner are to:

monitor the enjoyment and exercise of human rights by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and to report annually onthose findings to the Attorney-General;
promote discussion and awareness of the human rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and to promote respect for, and enjoyment of, those rights through research, educational and other programs; to examine enactments and proposed enactments to see whether they recognise and protect the human rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and to report to the Attorney-General the results of any such examination.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Dr Bill Jonas also has responsibilities under the Native Title Act 1993 to report annually on the operation of the Act and its effect on the exercise and enjoyment of human rights of Indigenous Australians. The Commissioner's annual reports are tabled in federal Parliament.