Royal commission a failure, meeting told
By Rod Pitty
SYDNEY — The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody was a failure, according to several speakers at a public meeting held at Leichhardt town hall on June 12. The meeting marked the 11th anniversary of Eddie Murray's death in Wee Waa police custody.
Jenny Munro said the royal commission recommendations had been compiled without Aboriginal involvement and that decisions about funding were still being made by paternalistic white bureaucrats.
Arthur Murray said the fact that no police had been prosecuted made the commission a big failure for the families of the victims, who had taken a long road to get justice.
Colin Markham said the recommendations about reducing the incidence of Aboriginal imprisonment were not strong enough and had been ignored by the powers that be.
Lyall Munro Jnr said the police had fabricated evidence in the cases of Eddie Murray and John Pat, and that Aboriginal people could not support the royal commission recommendations, because police had not been called to account and still have the power to harass and arrest Aboriginal people whenever they want.
Norm Newtin read a few stirring poems of his own, which are to appear in a book published by Angus and Robertson. Robert Cavanagh said that politicians had missed the fundamental point. Police had been involved in an incredible breakdown of law and order since Europeans arrived in this land, which will only stop when civilised people demand an end to the hatred and bigotry expressed by people in authority.
Chirpy Campbell called for more support for the families of Aboriginals who have died in custody. Dr Tom Gavranic criticised the royal commission for proceeding on the basis of suicide by assumption instead of exploring all possible causes of death.
Neita Scott said the royal commission had failed to reduce the number of Aboriginal people in custody, because it focused on studying Aboriginal people again instead of seriously investigating the problems of the criminal justice system.
The 200-strong meeting, which was chaired by Christine Williams, unanimously passed 11 resolutions, including demands that criminal charges be laid against offending custodial officers, and that the New South Wales government fund a conference of the families of NSW Aboriginal victims who had died in custody.
The meeting was organised by the Aboriginal Deaths in Custody Watch Committee (ph 660 7513) and pledged to work hard for the success of a rally on September 26 to commemorate the 1983 death of John Pat in y.