attached is a plea, on behalf of kwementyaye's family and isja, for nt government consideration of the arguments that we have put. in this case the "we" is myself and daniel taylor who is related by marriage to the family of mr. briscoe. i thank daniel for his input in turning a good draft into an excellent missive.
whilst john elferink is the nt attorney-general there is now a new chief minister who, like his predecessor, is also the minister for the nt police.
adam giles is the first aboriginal head of a party leader holding government in australia. regardless of his rise to power he is still very much a conundrum. he is certainly not worried about controversy relative to his position on taking aboriginal children from their families but his stance on death in custody issues is unknown to me.
he was born in the blue mountains, nsw, some 40 years ago and seems to have worked predominately in the public service in canberra until he travelled north and he was elected to the nt parliament representing the country liberal party since 2008. his country/nation is kamilaroi.
being aboriginal i would surmise that adam during his travels, and perhaps visiting his birth father's country, that he would be at some level of awareness of the historical relationship of aborigines and police officers. i make the assumption that he would also be aware at some level of the historical racism between aborigines and most of the non-aboriginal citizens of the stolen lands known as australia.
i am unaware as to his stance on the criminal intervention forced upon his brothers and sisters within the 73 targeted communities in the nt. i would also very much wish to know where he stands relative to the nt lands right act? is he a champion of land rights or more willing to accept the federal governments lust for aboriginal lands?
more importantly, perhaps, at this point in time is what stance he will take not only on the death in custody of kwementyaye briscoe but to all deaths in custody in his bailiwick? will he be a warrior for change or will he more readily continue to protect those responsible for those deaths at the hands of police, gaol officers, custodial health officers and not forgetting the juvenile justice officers.
if his intemperate attack upon those arguing against his children at risk legislation is of any judgement of where he is coming from, then i can only accept that there will be many more disagreements, and "piss off" invective in the future.
fkj
ray jackson
president
indigenous social justice association
isja01@internode.on.net
(m) 0450 651 063
(p) 02 9318 0947
address 1303/200 pitt street waterloo 2017
we live and work on the stolen lands of the gadigal people.
sovereignty treaty social justice
