Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Human Rights Issues

Floodwaters subside, but remote community residents not yet allowed to return home Evacuees from flood-hit Northern Territory remote communities are still unable to return to their homes, with authorities citing badly damaged infrastructure and a lack of safe drinking water.

Queensland government may have broken own laws by locking 13yo in detention cell for up to 24 hours a day The Queensland government may have broken its own laws by locking up two 13-year-old boys in their cells for up to 24 hours a day at the troubled Cleveland Youth Detention Centre in Townsville.

'Emotionally heavy' return of ancestral remains to country comes after 130 years The remains of more than 1,650 Aboriginal ancestors have been returned to Australia from around the world since 1990. But there are thousands more still to be returned.

AHPRA racism claims after Dhu’s doctor almost let off Former board member Hannah McGlade is concerned about “double standards” for Aboriginal patients.

How Ms Dhu’s death ended ‘insanity’ of jail for unpaid fines No West Australian has been imprisoned for fine default alone since new laws heavily restricting the once common practice — and prompted by the death in custody of Ms Dhu — passed Parliament in 2020.

Girl with severe autism allegedly spent months in solitary, 'watched by officers in the shower' at WA detention centre The girl's claims that she was "treated like a dog" are part of a class action involving more than 500 children and young adults held in Western Australia's notorious Banksia Hill Detention Centre.

Veronica Nelson's partner sues Victorian government over death in custody The partner of an Indigenous woman who died in a Victorian prison after making multiple calls for help sues the state and other parties, alleging her treatment breached human rights laws.

Riot sparks calls for WA youth justice fix Western Australia's opposition has blasted management of the state's youth prison after detainees took to rooftops and lit a fire during a New Year's riot.

WA government taken to task over treatment of Aboriginal children in detention Indigenous human rights expert says state is risking its reputation – ‘We’ve seen children assaulted, treated in highly abusive ways’

‘International embarrassment’: WA government taken to task over treatment of Aboriginal children in detention Indigenous human rights expert says state is risking its reputation – ‘We’ve seen children assaulted, treated in highly abusive ways’

The brutal legacy of a children's home with a mission to 'breed out the black' The nun who started Sister Kate's, a home for light-skinned Aboriginal children, had a compassionate vision. But after her death it became a hotbed of abuse and neglect; a "disgusting place" that forever changed the lives of its residents.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/nov/11/its-racial-profiling-aboriginal-families-fear-social-media-is-driving-vigilante-attacks-on-young-people-in-perth

‘It’s racial profiling’: Aboriginal families fear social media is driving vigilante attacks on young people in Perth Experts believe the crime rhetoric in some WA community Facebook groups may be leading people to take the law into their own hands

https://www.simoncharles.online/.../31-017-richard-bentley
This person has been reported to the Queensland & Tasmania Police for his cyberstalking of my family. He has made a fake profile using my name and this information has also been forwarded to the police.

#017 - Richard Bentley Simon Dorante-Day - My Investigation

James Cook University returns Indigenous art, artefacts to traditional owners in Far North Queensland Boomerangs, bark paintings, and photographic slides returned by James Cook University in what it says is the start of many more repatriations.

Closing the Gap: states and territories pledge to lift First Nations housing standards State and territory governments will be required to ensure all First Nations houses in homeland communities and town camps meet or exceed minimum standards for essential services within the next decade, under new targets agreed by the joint council on Closing the Gap. The minister for Indigenous Aus...

'They weren't ready': What homeless Karen's hotel isolation says about WA's 'disorganised' remote COVID response Hundreds are sent into isolation in government-booked hotel rooms in remote northern WA, while others are forced to bunker down in houses with up to 18 people.

Long-term alcohol ban in remote Indigenous community wound back After nearly 20 years of prohibition, alcohol will be reintroduced to the remote community of Mornington Island. Some say the ban was counter-productive and led to an increase in drugs and home brewing.

No more room in the morgue as 'health pandemic' drives up deaths on remote Queensland island, leaders say At least 16 residents have died within three months due to a 'health pandemic' on Mornington Island, community leaders say. They are calling on the Queensland government to get much-needed renal dialysis chairs to treat patients.

Yoorrook truth-telling commission begins to examine 'brutal ugliness' of Australia's treatment of Aboriginal people For the first time in Australia's history, a truth-telling commission has begun investigating the nation's brutal history since colonisation, to lay bare systematic abuses against Aboriginal people.

NT Indigenous workers underpaid between 1933 and 1971 join class action against government John is one of thousands of workers in the NT who were underpaid — or not paid at all — for their work between 1933 and 1971. He's hoping to see justice in his lifetime and has joined a class action against the government to make it happen.

The impact of home-brewed alcohol on Mornington Island | SBS The Feed Alcohol banned in the remote gulf community Mornington Island could see a comeback after prohibition led to more violence, binge drinking and in some cases d...

Tensions run high after NT police officer acquitted of murdering Indigenous man | ABC News The police officer who fatally shot a young indigenous man in the Northern Territory has been cleared of all charges. The jury took seven hours to find Zacha...

Indigenous activists call for $100,000 compensation after racial discrimination claim against service station Two high-profile activists say they were discriminated against at a Townsville service station because they are Aboriginal.

'Alarm bells ringing': Advocate calls for independent investigation into NT Police shooting near Darwin A Darwin-born Indigenous activist believes "genuine fear" is rippling through the community after an Aboriginal teenager was shot multiple times by police on Tuesday in a suburb south of Darwin.

'Enough is enough': Family of Kumanjayi Walker speak after NT police officer's not guilty verdict The family of Warlpiri man Kumanjayi Walker, who died after being shot by NT police officer Zachary Rolfe in 2019, has spoken of their heartbreak after a jury found him not guilty of all charges. They are calling for a blanket ban on guns in remote Aboriginal communities.

NT opposition accuses Chief Minister of 'political interference' in Zachary Rolfe murder charge Country Liberal Party leader Lia Finocchiaro says NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner has "serious questions to answer" over comments made at a Yuendumu community meeting before the murder charge against NT police officer Zachary Rolfe was laid.

A teenager needed urgent surgery. The hospital gave her 'the shut-up pill' and sent her away She was supposed to get surgery and weekly check-ups, instead the 18-year-old was sent away from a Queensland hospital multiple times and died within months.

Spit hoods are still being used on NT children. The government is resisting calls to ban them The Northern Territory government is resisting calls to ban the use of spit hoods on children in police custody, as new data shows their use increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Daniel Gibuma isn't allowed to work in Australia and he doesn't qualify for Centrelink. He's living in limbo as an Indigenous non-citizen Indigenous man Daniel Gibuma has lived in Australia for as long as he can remember, but fears he may face deportation for the second time in two years due to an upcoming High Court challenge.