21/09/2024
Unit 18 and its closure
I have just attended a rally held on the steps of Parliament House in Perth. The purpose of the rally was to send the message to Premier Cook that we need to shut down Unit 18 in Banksia Hill Detention Centre.
To hear the voices of Stuart, Grandad to Cleveland, one of the people that had died there, was uncomfortable and absolutely heart rending. Following his talk, a lady whose child had been in the same facility, spoke of the times in his life that had been dubbed “Before Banksia” and “After Banksia” by the rest of the family. That highlighted the stark difference in behaviour between the two periods. And the most telling part of her chat was when she said “If I provided those facilities to my children, the department of Child Protection would be at my house taking away my kids. Yet it is acceptable for the Government to subject my children to that degradation”.
Human rights appear to have vanished. And that vanishing appears to have happened as a result of the colour of the skin of these kids.
The Premier has agreed that the closure will occur. However that will only be in five years’ time. Based on recent records, that will mean the death of possibly around another 10 Aboriginal Children.
And that, Premier Cook is entirely unacceptable.
Suresh Rajan
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