Image: Lukas Coch/AAP
By Situation Theatre 27/07/2016
Who would have thought cultivating the ground for these events would lead to these events?
Serious concerns have emerged about the emotional responses of senior conservative leaders after their public statements about the Four Corners footage of torture at Don Dale Youth Detention Centre.
Both Malcolm Turnbull and Chief Minister of the Northern Territory Adam Giles have expressed great shock at video evidence of institutionalised violence and racism. Given they both lead governments which exacerbate institutional violence and racism at every turn, the ‘shocked’ response at the very least demonstrates a lack of imagination.
Who would have anticipated the two decade long retreat from policies of Aboriginal self-determination would lead to higher Indigenous incarceration rates and worsening human rights abuses in Australian prisons?
Well, the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody for one, the UN for another, and pretty much everyone who has been paying attention.