A lot of people are to blame for tragic conditions in Alice. But we can't be scared to find answers |
The recent tragic death of Kumanjayi Little Baby from one of the town camps in Alice Springs and the response highlights the consequences of mistakes we've been making for too long.
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Sadly that means the family don't get the quiet, personal grieving time so many other people get. They have apparently asked for her death not to be politicised. And rightly so.
All parties and all levels of government and plenty of organisations have not successfully dealt with this issue. Finger-pointing will get us nowhere. But it is equally fair for this to motivate policy discussions and change. Hopefully, that can be done while leaving the family alone.
If you lived in Alice you'd probably be thinking, "here we go again".
Another blast of media interest and then nothing. What is it in us that spurs concern at the tragic death of a child and yet for years has turned away from the fact that women and children have been abused in the camps for too long? If this one tragic event spurs some action, great. But it's long overdue.
It's long overdue for all the people who aren't getting the services they're meant to. Housing isn't up to scratch and they and their kids are at risk. Child protection and domestic violence services just haven't been up to the mark. That has to be fixed. Kids need to be put somewhere safe first. Culturally appropriate comes second. And the kids aren't getting the opportunities every Australian kid should have.
It's also long overdue for Indigenous Australia generally. When bad things happen everyone gets tarnished. Imagine being a Indigenous Australian and reading about this problem year after year.
Even worse imagine being amongst the Indigenous Australians in Alice who are working hard to make things better. It must be heartbreaking. Their courage, commitment and determination are an example to us all.
To cast some light on the issue a royal commission should be established. Tout de suite. The government prevaricated over Bondi. They shouldn't make the same mistake again.
Judges are good at sorting the wheat from the chaff and at finding the facts. Policy might not be their forte, which is why US Supreme Court judge Anton Scalia opposed what he referred to as "a judicial mugging of the legislature".
It's also why you might add a retired public servant to the commission. With a report in hand we would have facts. Every debate benefits from cold hard facts.
Even with facts at hand we will all have to face our own........