Page 5902 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 8 December 2010
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Mrs Dunne read out a list of known issues to us. It is really just a snapshot. It is really just indicative of wider problems that are taking place at Bimberi. Mrs Dunne referred to the minister referring to the young detainees as little buggers. Mrs Dunne also said that she had heard that the minister said she was just covering her backside and it was a publicity stunt.
We also heard about a staff member of islander heritage being pressured to resign after an alleged simple assault on a young detainee. Meanwhile, another staff member was given a promotion after strangling a young detainee and leaving a handprint and bruises around his neck and breaking the capillaries in his eyes. These are pretty horrific stories.
The fact that so many people have raised these issues with us does indicate that there is real concern for what is taking place at Bimberi. I think it is absolutely vital that all members of this place do absolutely everything they can to curb this kind of behaviour and to tell those that may be involved that such behaviour is totally unacceptable. I do not know how any of us in this place would sleep at night if something serious, something extremely serious, were to happen at Bimberi and we could have given those that know about the severity of the situation the opportunity to air their views so that a strategy might be enacted to fix the problems.
If we do not undertake something as serious as an inquiry under the Inquiries Act, I am concerned that there will not be a forum whereby the full extent of the problems at Bimberi can be disclosed. Therefore, without a diagnosis it will be very hard to actually treat the problem. It is absolutely vital that we in this place do support Mrs Dunne’s motion which will give everyone involved the best possible opportunity to understand exactly what is happening and Bimberi and how to fix the problems there.
As Mrs Dunne said, for members of the public, public servants and former public servants to come to the opposition with concerns is a very big step. It is very rare for members of the public service or former public servants to come to the opposition or to any member of parliament to complain about circumstances within the public service. Yet that is what has happened. In addition, we have had people contact radio stations. We have had people contact other media outlets, in addition to the Ombudsman and the human rights commissioner.
Nobody takes these actions lightly and to have nearly 10 people take this kind of step does indicate just how serious this situation is. That is why it is absolutely vital that we in this place do everything we can to ensure that we can truly comprehend the enormity of the problems at Bimberi so that the relevant authorities can take action, because at the moment it does not appear like much is being done at all.
When you have a minister who, so we are told, called the young detainees little buggers throughout a meeting with Bimberi staff members and who apparently stated that she was meeting there just to cover her backside and when you have managers apparently calling staff members gorillas, I think this does show that there are major cultural problems out there and that the cultural problems are leading towards serious safety problems as well.
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