Blak Deaths in Custody: We had high hopes but now it’s time for the Government to act

Over the past few days The West Australian’s Blak Deaths in Custody series has highlighted some of WA’s most horrific — and preventable — fatalities, showing that while there has been some slow progress there is still much work to be done. Last week marked the 30th anniversary of the final report from the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and it beggars belief that some of its recommendations are still yet to be put in place. Hopefully The West’s series has helped educate those who did not know all the details about the senseless deaths of John Pat, Mr Ward and Ms Dhu, among others, or the failed policies that allowed them to happen. I’m so proud of the support Blak Deaths in Custody has received from both Indigenous and non-Indigenous readers, who have recognised the significant issues facing First Nations people in the justice system that still need to be addressed. When I think of the royal commission, the expectations the Aboriginal community’s expectations were not too ambitious. It was to examine and report upon the underlying social, cultural and legal issues behind the deaths in custody of 99 Blak Australians. For some of the families, a criminal conviction is what they felt would give them justice. As Michelle Adams, John Pat’s niece, said: “People would logically believe that, if you kill somebody then you have to go to jail.” But the commissioners were looking at how to stop the next death in custody, not to address those who had already lost their lives. This is why the Indigenous community and its allies are hurting and continue to be frustrated by the lack of action over implementing recommendations. According to former Federal indigenous affairs minister Robert Tickner when the final report was tabled, all levels of government supported the recommendations and committed to putting them in place. So why has it taken so long and why are some still on the shelf? Indigenous Australians are still dying because politicians have failed to change a policy or law that could have saved their life. We are now almost at 500 Blak deaths in custody in 360 months — that’s more than one death per month for three decades. WATCH OUR ORIGINAL FIVE PART SERIES BLAK DEATHS IN CUSTODY: Governments have been given a blueprint for the way forward. It is all about addressing the underlying factors, not just a simple direction to “stop committing offences”. Most deaths in custody come from natural causes, such as that of Aunty Sherry Fisher-Tilberoo who died in September last year. She was killed by a suspected brain aneurysm in the Brisbane police watch house while being held on remand. According to the coroner, police failed to perform adequate physical checks before she died. In WA, Mr Yeeda collapsed at West Kimberley regional prison in Derby in May 2018 and later died. The 19-year-old’s family has raised concerns he was not receiving adequate treatment for his rheumatic heart disease. If it is true that he didn’t have sufficient treatment there is another simple solution — fix the medical services available in prisons. Just because you go to jail shouldn’t mean you get poor health care. You’re still a human being. Change has come, but it has come too slow. Sadly it appears it takes a death for recommendations to be implemented and that’s just not good enough. We need action now. All levels of government need to step up and prioritise this issue to help save lives. The Blak community is tired, we are exhausted but we keep on moving, we keep on pleading for change because we know that the lives of the younger generation depends on us.