Page 305 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 9 February 2021
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opposite do not have enough respect for this request to accept the need for an independent external inquiry. In fact, they do not have enough respect for this request or the lived experiences behind it to accept the need for a separate inquiry of any kind. What a shame and what a missed opportunity to rebuild the confidence and trust in the system.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have spoken to me are specifically concerned about the possibility of systemic racism impacting the operation of the AMC once people are locked up. Though systemic racism also almost certainly contributes to the problem of over-representation in incarceration rates, this is clearly a separate issue. You all know that. Merely promising to proceed with the review into overrepresentation misses the entire point of this motion and what our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander friends are seeking.
I am disappointed, but sadly not surprised, considering this government’s known track record over many years. I strongly suspect that many Indigenous Australians in the ACT will see the decision made by you lot to ignore their request as further evidence of institutional and systemic racism. Congratulations. Abandoning those on the inside, sweeping racism under the rug, this whole debate is a distraction from the issue of racism within the facility of the AMC.
I am deeply disappointed at the government’s stubborn refusal to have an independent inquiry into institutional and systemic racism at the AMC. They have not listened to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. By dismissing this inquiry, they are not respecting them. By saying no to this important inquiry, they have placed racist treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as being not very important.
It is easy for someone who is white and privileged, who has never experienced racism, to behave this way and to come to this disappointing conclusion. As someone who has been a victim of racial hate, let me say that it is painful and can paralyse an individual at their lowest point in life.
For people and the government—you lot—not to listen to the pleas and the cries of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people within the ACT, shame on you. I say to each and every one of you in the cabinet room who decided to amend this important inquiry into systemic racism, “Shame on you.” You have no respect for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. You have no respect for their feelings. You have no respect for their experiences. Don’t come into this Assembly and pretend you do with your words. You know what? They know it. They know that you do not care. You have just proven that today.
For this reason, I oppose this soft, disrespectful response to my motion with their non-answer amendment.
Question put:
That the amendment be agreed to.
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