Unless the Federal Government heeds the Senate’s advice in relation to mandatory sentencing another generation of Aboriginal people will become "stolen".

This is the fear of Uniting Church in Australia leaders, who welcomed the majority Senate report which recognised the importance of states and territories meeting international and humanitarian obligations in their own right.

The key aspect of the report for the National Director, Social Responsibility and Justice, was the clear recognition that such obligations would not be met without Federal intervention.

Christine Cargill said the Federal Government needed to act immediately on the Senate’s warning and stop mandatory sentencing now.

"The senate inquiry confirms that mandatory sentencing cannot be justified within the requirements of the Convention on the Rights of the Child," Ms Cargill said. "The rights of children, and adults for that matter, must be upheld."

"If mandatory sentencing and other trends continue, another generation of Aboriginal people may be lost. The report cites incarceration rates of juveniles at a rate of 9:1 indigenous to non-indigenous."

General Secretary, Rev Gregor Henderson has concurred "This is outrageous in a community, the Australian community, which claims reconciliation as a major concern."

The concerns of Rev Henderson and Ms Cargill are echoed in the senate report that not enough energy is being put into addressing issues of poverty and dysfunction, which are the source of much crime.

"The report encourages further work be done on diversionary programmes –we strongly support this. Alternatives to sentencing need to be explored and the commitment of the Deaths in Custody report to "prison as a last resort" needs to be taken seriously."