The Contingency Plan

Oh you're a good bunch. I know I've said it before, but you're so lovely and supportive and encouraging and sensitive and it's made me feel a lot brighter.

So after the comments on my last post, I've decided to write about some of the things that have been on my mind. I spent two hours on this earlier, only to have my computer suddenly crash, so I now write warily and only because I feel an urgent need to.

Stop and save.

The past two weeks have been overwhelming. I've been overwhelmed with bitterness towards my father, with depression about my body and utter sadness and frustration towards horrendous local injustices.

I know my feelings for my father will settle in time as my dedication towards grudges is faint. And for the past week I've turned around my eating habits and have been determined to act less on my emotional attachment to food. I've actually been dealing with the feelings instead of eating through them so lots of unfortunate, barely cohesive, diary writing has ensued! Luc's naturally been supportive by tempting me with all of my favourite treats (no joke).

So, I shall write of the injustices.

Working in PR, I need to stay relatively informed on general news and current affairs and picked up a recent story that made me literally feel ill.

His name is Mulrunji and he was a 36 year old Aboriginal man who lived on Palm Island. Far from the luxury of Dubai, Palm Island Queenlsand bears a shameful history and in 1999, the Guinness Book of Records deemed it the most violent place to live on earth outside of a combat zone.

In 2004, Mulrunji was arrested for public drunkeness and died less than an hour later in police custody. The officers concerned claimed his death resulted from injuries suffered from falling down stairs. The locals of Palm Island cried foul play and rioted, burning down the police station, barracks and court house. No one was injured during the riots but the Queensland Government reacted by sending in paramilitary troops who arrested 28 Palm Island residents, including a 14 year old boy and a 65 year old grandmother. Children were held up by gun point, stun guns used on those with their hands already in the air. Many of those arrested were held without bail for a week and others sentenced earlier this year. No support or councelling was offered to the families or children who endured these events. The Queensland Government did very little to investigate the incident, the focus negatively placed on punishing the rioters.

Last Wednesday, two years after Mulrunji died, the Queensland State coroner released her findings that place the responsibility for Mulrunji's death on the officer, Chris Hurley, who literally bashed him to death. Mulrunji suffered four broken ribs and a ruptured liver. He died, choking on his own blood after being unnecessarily arrested. Reports revealed he had never been formerly arrested, was a happy, peaceful man and that his family had asked about him at the station shortly after he had died and were told to simply come back later.

The Queensland Police Union reacted by labelling the inquest as a 'witch hunt' and despite public outcry, the Queensland Premier, Peter Beattie, supported the Union, claiming he is ok with the officer keeping his job. It's been a week and no charges have been made against Chris Hurley by the Director of Public Prosecutions. To this day Hurley lives in a protected, luxury apartment on the Gold Coast. Mulrunji's family are still seeking justice and it's the rioting Palm Islanders who have served time.

No police officer has ever faced criminal charges over an Aboriginal death in custody in Australia.

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Aborigines have a pretty bad reputation in Australia. Sure it's a great generalisation, but if you were to ask any number of white Australians, you'd get plenty of people talking of violence, unemployment and drug and alcohol abuse.

I came across a survey of 400 people that had been completed in Townsville where only one in ten people had a positive opinion of Aboriginal people. I know, as with all cultures, there are inexcusable crimes, but wondered what life would be like when you're raised with the notion that it's ok to fail given your surroundings, especially if you're black.

Horrified by Mulrunji's case and my own ignorance, I did some further research into the past and read about stolen wages and how the Government controlled and denied Aborigines of their wages and entitlements for generations, keeping them in poverty, barely able to buy food for their families and how decades later in 2006, people are still unable to retrieve what's owed.

I read of people's very recent sceptism about, and denial of the Stolen Generations. Some saying it never happened, others saying they should just get over it and move on. And other just wanting recognition of what happened so they can move on.

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I coindentally met an old Aboriginal woman last week and through pure luck was able to steal two hours of her time before she had to leave for an eye examination.

She made me call her Aunty and told me of her life. How she grew up in Doomadgee, an Aboriginal settlement near the Gulf of Carpentaria and was treated differently to her peers because she has white blood in her veins. She told me of rape, of slavery, of constant discrimation and how she still doesn't receive her full pension. She spoke to me of spirituality birthed in the land, of her lost and hopeless people and told me of how she dreams to one day hear the sounds of a corroboree again.

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The debate on whether Australia, as a country should say sorry to the Aboriginal people is a raging one. There are many in the community who feel Aborigines already receive too much 'special treatment' and just want more money. I'm sure there are those out there. But I think of Palm Island and the poverty there and wonder how much we're really helping each other.

I've spoken to friends and family a lot about this lately and people seem to be tired of being made to feel blame or guilt over actions they did not personally do. Although I believe responsibility should be taken for injustices done, I'm interested in moving forward together and developing a deeper understanding of each other, which takes initiative as I sadly don't come across many Aboriginal people in my day to day life.

I don't want Aborigines to be treated like victims but as equal citizens yet it seems we haven't at all progressed in the last 200 years. And our system of justice seems defunct.

And all of this saddens me to no end.

Oh man that's a horrible story - you take of yourself and please know that I saw your tag and I'll get right on it, now that my DSL is back up and running. :)

You have my thoughts - I know about that weight issue, the food issue, the depression. Hugs to you.

Hello Kazumi,
I understand your despair, I have the same feeling. I have been in Australia for few years now and permanent resident for a bit more than a year and I sometimes feel that I didn't really deserve to be in this wonderful country.
After all which has been done on Aboriginal people and their land I feel that living in Sydney and enjoying my time here is not fair.
I deeply understand your feeling and wish things could change.

I gathered from bits I read on Sydney Morning Herald that the situation of Aboriginal people in Austrialia is similar to that of blacks and/or Native Americans in America. Obviously, I underestimated the inequities. It's ironic that a place with such a tranquil name is in such a dismal situation. This has made very little news in the west, much like the problems in Dafur. I guess we only get to hear about what the media wants us to hear about, unless we read blogs or look someplace outside of the mainstream media.

Maybe your company could do pro bono work for Aboriginal causes. Sounds like they need all the help they can get.

Hi Junebee,
Yes we've been helping though it's hard to write about it for reasons of anyonomity!

THis reminds me of what was happening to Canadian Natives in Canada 50 years ago, with forced seperation and boarding schools the were evil.

BUt the current situation is vastly better than what you are describing there. IT sounds like the deep south before the 60's.

I too am made sad by such things, and frustrated at my inability to change things fast enough.