![]() The AIC’s national deaths in custody program was established in 1992 to fulfil this role but until recently only reported every few years. Recommendation 41 called for the states and territories to maintain a statistical database tracking all deaths in custody and report annually to parliament. The lack of reliable statistics was a recurring theme of the 1991 royal commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody. In May this year the AIC said it would speed up its reporting on Aboriginal deaths in custody, after sustained criticism that it was taking too long to produce data that could drive policy reform. The federal government relies on figures provided by the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) to track custodial deaths. There’ve been 500 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples die whilst in the state’s care and not one person has been held accountable. “The system was never created to work with or for us, but against us. The Torres Strait Islanders have lived on the islands for many. Although they have high standings with the Melanesians and the Aboriginal Australians, the Torres Strait Islanders are independent with distinct identity. The coroner investigating her death referred the case to the Department of public prosecutions to determine whether criminal negligence had occurred, but the DPP declined to investigate further. The Torres Strait Islanders are the native people of the islands of Torres Strait who are culturally and genetically Melanesian. ![]() Her mother Tanya died on in December 2017 of a brain haemorrhage sustained when she fell and hit her head in the cells of Castlemaine police station, after being arrested for public drunkenness, an offence that has since been removed from Victoria’s statue books. “We need justice and accountability so we can begin our healing journey,” Day said. ![]() “Our people continue, and will continue, to die from failures to implement these crucial recommendations,” McConnachie said.Īpryl Day, who created the Dhadjowa Foundation to advocate for and support bereaved families after her mother died in police custody, said the burden of pushing for change should be on governments, not families. The Torres Strait Islands have 0.52 of Queensland’s population but over 20 of Queensland’s melioidosis cases, 2.4 of tuberculosis cases and 2.1 of dengue cases. She said governments have not fully implemented the royal commission’s 339 recommendations, or those of the Australian Law Reform Commission’s Pathways to Justice inquiry, the Don Dale royal commission and many coronial investigations.
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