Remembering Black Deaths since the Royal Commission
Ms WEBB (Nelson) – Mr President, I appreciate it has been a long day and I rise to speak on something I feel is important. It will not take too much time so I beg the indulgence of the members.
I rise to speak on an action that took place this evening out the front of this building where a group of citizens gathered to bear witness. This action was called Remembering Black Deaths since the Royal Commission. They gathered because it has been more than 25 years since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are still dying in custody in unacceptably high numbers. Just a matter of weeks ago we saw the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old Warlpiri man in the central Australian Aboriginal community of Yuendumu. There have been 420 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths in custody since the royal commission. Five of those deaths are reported in Tasmania.
Since the royal commission, every report into the implementation of its recommendations has criticised state and federal governments, including Tasmania. In fact, in Deloitte’s 2018 review of implementation of the recommendations of the royal commission, Tasmania was ranked lowest of all states in implementation of the royal commission’s recommendations.
Today, those gathering outside our parliament were remembering all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths in custody since the royal commission. They took turns reading out the circumstances of some of those deaths in custody that have occurred since 1991. Those involved in this action are a group of concerned citizens, Aboriginal Tasmanians and their allies, citizens who are concerned about the ongoing deaths in custody of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. They are concerned our state has not implemented all of the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. They are concerned Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are still incarcerated at a disproportionately high rate in this country and in this state. Nineteen per cent of those in Tasmanian prisons are Tasmanian Aboriginal people, significantly disproportionate to the general community. I acknowledge and thank those involved in the Remembering Black Deaths since the Royal Commission action that took place this evening out the front of parliament.
We have not done well enough on this issue and our failure is shameful. On this we continue to let down the community, both Tasmanian Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal community members. Progress is much too slow in coming. When this is the case, we rightly see concerned citizens engage in actions that highlight and give voice to community calls for justice. On such issues positive progress is made only through such actions, demonstrations and at times, through protests. I believe such actions make our community safer, more enriched, more inclusive and cohesive.
On this issue of Aboriginal deaths in custody and the high rate of incarceration, I note the genuinely held concerns of the citizens that gathered outside our parliament today and I ask, is the Tasmanian Government satisfied it has sufficiently implemented the recommendations of the royal commission? Noting Aboriginal Tasmanians are still over-represented in prisons in this state, I ask: What further action will the Government take to rectify this? What further commitments will they make to positive progress?
