The Minister for Corrective Services at the time, Margaret Quirk, also told Ms Jackson, that she could not convince her Cabinet colleagues to spend money to replace the ageing prison van fleet.
I find the former Minister’s story implausible (even with the four tear drops that inexplicably rolled down her face on TV at precisely the right moment) and believe the money - in abundance in a state with a budgetary surplus from the mining boom at the time - would have been hastily procured to replace the entire ageing fleet if the transported prisoners were non-Indigenous.
The tragic story further revealed the callous disregard of the Indigenous elder by the guards driving the prison van, who admitted they did not stop to check on his welfare or see if he needed a toilet break, food or water until, they say, they heard a thud from the back. Even then they did not unlock both the cell doors, and instead threw water on Mr Ward through the chained-up inner door.
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To add to the indignity of this extraordinary chain of unfortunate events, accentuated with racist fervor, the local Justice of the Peace who refused Mr Ward bail admitted to the inquest that he was unaware that Mr Ward was a well-respected, well-connected man.
"No, no. He was an Aboriginal [sic] in a very drunken state or very groggy state. That's all I knew him as," the Justice of the Peace said.
I was inspired by the eloquent words of Prime Minister Rudd when he said he was going to close the gap within a generation so all Indigenous people can have a quality of life comparable with mainstream society.
Try telling that to the family of Mr Ward, Prime Minister. Post your Sorry Day speech, our mob have now had a chance to assess your overall successes in this regard.
The report card on Indigenous rights at present is producing grades even your biased family members and infatuated parliamentary colleagues would find unpalatable, Prime Minister.
And while you’re setting goals for us, Prime Minister, do you think you could be a bit more selective with your choice of words. Your “adios” reply to Sol Trujillo’s departure referred to his Mexican ethnicity as opposed to his esteemed business acumen and reeked of intolerance at best and xenophobia at worse.
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Perhaps Sol Trujillo hit a raw nerve when he scratched Australia’s racist underbelly.
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