Human Rights Commission Calls for Reform After 600 Aboriginal Deaths in Custody Over 30 Years

Separately, an Indian man’s death in South Australian custody triggered an official inquiry.

A young girl holds up an Australian Aboriginal flag in Sydney, Australia, on Jan. 26, 2022. Steven Saphore/AFP via Getty Images

All seven members of the Australian Human Rights Commission have issued a rare joint statement calling for reform to deal with Aboriginal deaths in custody.

The Commission reports that 12 Indigenous people have died in custody since the beginning of 2025, with recent cases in the Northern Territory pushing the total number of deaths since the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (RCIADIC), to nearly 600.