Three First Nations Noongar elders are urging federal and state governments to implement all the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.
Noongar Elders Uncle Hedley Hayward, Uncle Herbert Bropho and Fabian Yarran made the call ahead of the January 26 Day of Mourning.
“This year is the 200-year anniversary of the invasion and continued occupation of Albany, Menang Country in the South West of Noongar Countrym,” they said.
“We remember the many who have resisted and suffered under the yoke of settler colonialism.”
They said the federal government can and must “make laws and policies for First Nations People”, including “undertaking independent investigations into deaths in custody” based on the International Red Cross guidelines and the United Nations protocols.
They said all the royal commission’s recommendations must be implemented, but in particular Recommendation 150 which provides for Medicare, holistic healthcare, mental health and addiction treatment.
They called for an “end to the ongoing lockdowns in all justice institutions” as well as more staff, and improvement in education and working conditions for staff.
“We need halfway houses and better support on release from child justice institutions and prisons. We need bail houses. We have too many unsentenced prisoners who cannot meet bail requirements.
“We demand housing justice for our community.”
The Elders also called for more support for homelessness services as “our charities cannot meet demand”. Many are “feeling burnt out and people and children are living in cars and on the streets”.
To immediately address the homeless crisis governments should allow camping grounds and the WA Bullsbrook Quarantine Centre, which has 1000 beds, to be used, they said.
They demanded all the recommendations in the May 2025 Australian Human Rights Commission’s report Help Way Earlier report, especially Recommendation 4 to establish a children’s act, be made a reality.
They called for the notorious “Unit 18” in WA’s Banksia Hill Detention Centre to be closed. “We need smaller therapeutic centers on Country as recommended in Help Way Earlier report.”
They demanded independent investigations into police complaints and abuse of power. They urged culturally appropriate employment opportunities for First Nations people, more healthcare support for Elders and to stop the cuts to Elder care and home support.
“We want comprehensive, trauma-informed mental health and addiction care,” they said. “Protect Noongar Country, biodiversity, forest regeneration, healthy soils, sustainable agriculture, native pastures, cockatoo feeding forests and mini forests for urban areas.
They said truth telling and education, including recording the stories of our Elders, “can empower the community and together fight for real change”.
The Noongar elders, who are helping organise the Invasion Day rally, urged everyone to come to Forrest Place, Boorloo, 12 noon. The march to Stirling Gardens starts at 1.30pm where there will be yarning circles.
[Join your nearest Invasion Day march on January 26.]