Aboriginal leader slams Qld jails

Issue 

Aboriginal leader slams Qld jails

By Bill Mason

BRISBANE — Aboriginal campaigner Mary Graham has launched a strong attack on the Queensland Corrective Services Commission for its treatment of blacks in custody.

Graham said on April 19 that she had resigned her position as a commissioner last month after a year of frustration, accusing the commission and the state and federal governments of lacking a genuine commitment to the welfare of jailed blacks.

Almost two years after the $30 million Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody made more than 300 recommendations, the vast majority were still not implemented in Queensland, she said.

Graham said she believed that several black deaths in Queensland custody, including the suicide this month of Barry Turbane, would not have happened if the QCSC had adopted the recommendations to the letter.

She accused the QCSC of "making only cosmetic changes and window-dressing" instead of undertaking positive, structural reforms which would help prevent deaths in custody.

Graham, who last year protested to Amnesty International over the treatment of Aborigines in Queensland custody, said she was compiling a paper detailing concerns over the issue.

If you like our work, become a supporter

Green Left is a vital social-change project and aims to make all content available online, without paywalls. With no corporate sponsors or advertising, we rely on support and donations from readers like you.

For just $5 per month get the Green Left digital edition in your inbox each week. For $10 per month get the above and the print edition delivered to your door. You can also add a donation to your support by choosing the solidarity option of $20 per month.

Freecall now on 1800 634 206 or follow the support link below to make a secure supporter payment or donation online.