2021-03-11
Corrections Victoria today advised of the death of a First Nations man at Ravenhall Correctional Centre on 7 March 2021 - the same prison where only a year ago, a prison guard was stood down for allegedly starving a First Nations man.
Earlier this week the NSW Government was found to have kept a Blak death in custody secret from the public.
2021 marks 30 years since the release of the final report of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.
As recently as last month, Senator Thorpe and Senator Patrick Dodson called on the Government to meet with those families of those who have died in custody and to implement outstanding recommendations of the Royal Commission. The Government refused to support the motion, defeating this in the Senate with the support of the racist One Nation party.
“My thoughts today are with all the grieving families and communities who shouldn’t have to suffer like this. This is relentless and traumatizing for our people,” Greens Senator for Victoria and First Nations spokesperson Lidia Thorpe said today.
“The system is broken. Thirty years on since the Royal Commission, how is it possible that our people are still dying in custody and not a single person or institution has been held to account? When will we have peace?
“At this point you have to say, the system is deeply racist. We have the solutions in the Royal Commissions recommendations - but there’s no political will to do anything with them. We have a Prime Minister that is still refusing to meet with the grieving families to explain how this is even possible - that’s how little this Government cares about anyone except themselves.
“Blak lives matter - and we’re never going to stop fighting for justice,” Senator Thorpe added.
Statement ends