4 years ago
Black Lives Matter protests & Indigenous incarceration
LINDA BURNEY MP
LINDA BURNEY: Coronavirus is an international, awful health phenomena. We saw protests right across the world yesterday in solidarity with George Floyd’s family in America, and of course here in Australia, highlighting the issue of Aboriginal deaths in custody and the incarceration rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. There were protests in England, France, Japan, South Korea, and in all capital cities and many regional centres here in Australia. Politicians, leaders of business, leaders of sports organisations, and many people - next door neighbours - are listening to the visceral cry of people speaking out against inequality and poor treatment. I understand that in Western Australia are the second highest of any state and territory in Australia. They’re up around 53-54 per cent. And in some locations, almost 100 per cent. There have been two terrible deaths in custody - perhaps more - in Western Australia in the last little while. One in Port Hedland, and of course, one in the north of the state. Mathias Cormann should know better than to describe these protests yesterday - this cry from the heart of many thousands of people across the world, and in Australia, as ‘self-indulgent’ and ‘reckless’ - it struck me listening to people at the protest that they were very conscious of what the health risks are. We even saw police officers in Queensland handing out facemasks. We saw attempts at social distancing. And yes, of course, we’re all concerned about the legality and also about the health issues of the many protests. But people made a conscious decision, that what we’re seeing now in Australia and across the world is something we would do well to listen to. Thank you.
JOURNALIST: Nour Haydar, ABC. How did you personally feel hearing Mathias Cormann describe these protesters as selfish and self-indulgent?
BURNEY: I’m not going to get into a to-and-fro between myself and Mathias Cormann except to say that it would be helpful for Mr Cormann to look at the record and look at what the reality is in the state that he represents. I spoke publicly as did many others in the Labor Party and across the board about people being clear about what the health issues were and what the legal issues were with the protests yesterday. But I also understand the anguish, the frustration and the anger that people are experiencing. And I think many people - many people saw the issue of deaths in custody as something that is important to speak out about now in Australia. It is the responsibility of elected leaders, and people with a voice in the community, to respond to what’s going on around the world. It is not something that we can ignore. And Mr Cormann would do himself a favour if he would also listen to those cries.
JOURNALIST: Linda, Pablo here from SBS. Do you think Mr Cormann’s comments are ‘tone deaf’ as Richard Marles has said, and does he need to apologise?
BURNEY: Mr Cormann’s comments this morning - as Richard Marles has said on Insiders this morning - were tone deaf. And I think political expedient quite frankly. Mr Cormann I understand is making some comments this afternoon. And I look forward to hearing what those comments are. I hope that he understands, as does his party, that there is a real issue in this country about the equality and about the social justice outcomes for First Australians.
JOURNALIST: Linda Burney, Tim Lester from 7 News. Are you suggesting that issue in particular warranted protest yesterday? Or are you suggesting that people generally that have a want to protest should be able to despite the limits that coronavirus does pose?
BURNEY: Well, when you have a look at what happened here in Sydney yesterday, the Supreme Court on Friday night deemed the gatherings illegal and I understand that was overturned. What I am saying that people have to consider very seriously - really seriously - what the issues are in terms of coronavirus. That goes without saying. But what I am also saying is that I understand the frustration and reason that tens of thousands of Australians - both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal - turned out to say that enough is enough, yesterday. And I particularly look - I particularly look at the anguish of the Dungay family, David Dungay’s mother, sister and brother - who spoke with grace, with generosity, and with care about what they have experienced, since the death five years ago of Mr Dungay.
JOURNALIST: Ms Burney, Jonathan Kearsley from 9 News, thank you very much for your time. Irrespective of the issues, in your belief, should people be protesting at this time, at all?
BURNEY: I think what we have seen across the world, is instructive. This is the 12th day of protests in America. And there has been a chord struck about I believe inequality in that country. But my point is this: is that people made individual decisions. They made individual decisions understanding what the legal and health risks were. They took the action that they did. And it is important that people understand why people took those actions, and the level of anger and frustration, particularly that young people are feeling.
JOURNALIST: Linda Burney, Tim Lester again from 7. If you support the action taken yesterday, would you support any follow up protests in the near future?
BURNEY: Tim, that’s not for me to say. It’s not for me to say whether I support something, or whether I don’t support something. What I am simply saying is that the level of frustration; the fact that there were tens of thousands of people yesterday that felt that they needed to send a message of solidarity to the Floyd family in America and highlight the issue of Aboriginal deaths in custody in Australia was instructive.
JOURNALIST: Linda, Jonathan Kearsley again from 9 News. In that case then, would you support protests on any other issue, other than the George Floyd protests? If there were protests on other matters, say for example, conspiracy theorists protests or other types of issues. Would you support those protests going ahead, and those people having the right to protest?
BURNEY: I’m not sure that that’s a relevant question now. The issue is that the protests yesterday were endorsed by some state and territory governments. The courts made decisions. People took individual actions, both as individuals and we know as families. This is a time that is particularly fraught because of the virus and because of people’s desire to take action about this particular issue. And it seems to me that people are very focused on solidarity with the Floyd family in America, in this country, highlighting the fact that we do have since the royal commission in 1991 over 400 deaths in custody. It seems to me that yesterday’s protests were stately. They were well organised, and from all reports without a lot of incident. And that’s really really important.
JOURNALIST: Linda, it’s Tegan George from Channel 10. Mathias Cormann keeps using the reasoning that people can’t go to loved ones funerals and watching yesterday’s protests must have been incredibly difficult. What do you think about that reasoning being used in this debate?
BURNEY:Mathias Cormann this morning used ‘reckless’ and ‘self-indulgent’. I don’t think people were either of those things. Obviously, he has a view. And he has a right to that view. But like Richard Marles said, it was tone deaf, and I also think politically expedient.
JOURNALIST: Can you understand though people feeling hurt being unable to go to funerals or being unable to attend family weddings being hurt seeing these mass gatherings?
BURNEY:I can understand that people would have very mixed views, particularly, if they’d lost a loved one, or were not able to attend a wedding, you know. I was in the same situation about two very significant elders dying in New South Wales. And normally their funerals would be very large and be very open. And of course, they weren’t. But I think Mathias Cormann is doing a fair bit of back peddling, and he needs to understand that this is a very real issue for people and people have strong views about it. Part of the job of any politician is to understand what your constituents are saying. Thank you.
ENDS
JOURNALIST: Nour Haydar, ABC. How did you personally feel hearing Mathias Cormann describe these protesters as selfish and self-indulgent?
BURNEY: I’m not going to get into a to-and-fro between myself and Mathias Cormann except to say that it would be helpful for Mr Cormann to look at the record and look at what the reality is in the state that he represents. I spoke publicly as did many others in the Labor Party and across the board about people being clear about what the health issues were and what the legal issues were with the protests yesterday. But I also understand the anguish, the frustration and the anger that people are experiencing. And I think many people - many people saw the issue of deaths in custody as something that is important to speak out about now in Australia. It is the responsibility of elected leaders, and people with a voice in the community, to respond to what’s going on around the world. It is not something that we can ignore. And Mr Cormann would do himself a favour if he would also listen to those cries.
JOURNALIST: Linda, Pablo here from SBS. Do you think Mr Cormann’s comments are ‘tone deaf’ as Richard Marles has said, and does he need to apologise?
BURNEY: Mr Cormann’s comments this morning - as Richard Marles has said on Insiders this morning - were tone deaf. And I think political expedient quite frankly. Mr Cormann I understand is making some comments this afternoon. And I look forward to hearing what those comments are. I hope that he understands, as does his party, that there is a real issue in this country about the equality and about the social justice outcomes for First Australians.
JOURNALIST: Linda Burney, Tim Lester from 7 News. Are you suggesting that issue in particular warranted protest yesterday? Or are you suggesting that people generally that have a want to protest should be able to despite the limits that coronavirus does pose?
BURNEY: Well, when you have a look at what happened here in Sydney yesterday, the Supreme Court on Friday night deemed the gatherings illegal and I understand that was overturned. What I am saying that people have to consider very seriously - really seriously - what the issues are in terms of coronavirus. That goes without saying. But what I am also saying is that I understand the frustration and reason that tens of thousands of Australians - both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal - turned out to say that enough is enough, yesterday. And I particularly look - I particularly look at the anguish of the Dungay family, David Dungay’s mother, sister and brother - who spoke with grace, with generosity, and with care about what they have experienced, since the death five years ago of Mr Dungay.
JOURNALIST: Ms Burney, Jonathan Kearsley from 9 News, thank you very much for your time. Irrespective of the issues, in your belief, should people be protesting at this time, at all?
BURNEY: I think what we have seen across the world, is instructive. This is the 12th day of protests in America. And there has been a chord struck about I believe inequality in that country. But my point is this: is that people made individual decisions. They made individual decisions understanding what the legal and health risks were. They took the action that they did. And it is important that people understand why people took those actions, and the level of anger and frustration, particularly that young people are feeling.
JOURNALIST: Linda Burney, Tim Lester again from 7. If you support the action taken yesterday, would you support any follow up protests in the near future?
BURNEY: Tim, that’s not for me to say. It’s not for me to say whether I support something, or whether I don’t support something. What I am simply saying is that the level of frustration; the fact that there were tens of thousands of people yesterday that felt that they needed to send a message of solidarity to the Floyd family in America and highlight the issue of Aboriginal deaths in custody in Australia was instructive.
JOURNALIST: Linda, Jonathan Kearsley again from 9 News. In that case then, would you support protests on any other issue, other than the George Floyd protests? If there were protests on other matters, say for example, conspiracy theorists protests or other types of issues. Would you support those protests going ahead, and those people having the right to protest?
BURNEY: I’m not sure that that’s a relevant question now. The issue is that the protests yesterday were endorsed by some state and territory governments. The courts made decisions. People took individual actions, both as individuals and we know as families. This is a time that is particularly fraught because of the virus and because of people’s desire to take action about this particular issue. And it seems to me that people are very focused on solidarity with the Floyd family in America, in this country, highlighting the fact that we do have since the royal commission in 1991 over 400 deaths in custody. It seems to me that yesterday’s protests were stately. They were well organised, and from all reports without a lot of incident. And that’s really really important.
JOURNALIST: Linda, it’s Tegan George from Channel 10. Mathias Cormann keeps using the reasoning that people can’t go to loved ones funerals and watching yesterday’s protests must have been incredibly difficult. What do you think about that reasoning being used in this debate?
BURNEY:Mathias Cormann this morning used ‘reckless’ and ‘self-indulgent’. I don’t think people were either of those things. Obviously, he has a view. And he has a right to that view. But like Richard Marles said, it was tone deaf, and I also think politically expedient.
JOURNALIST: Can you understand though people feeling hurt being unable to go to funerals or being unable to attend family weddings being hurt seeing these mass gatherings?
BURNEY:I can understand that people would have very mixed views, particularly, if they’d lost a loved one, or were not able to attend a wedding, you know. I was in the same situation about two very significant elders dying in New South Wales. And normally their funerals would be very large and be very open. And of course, they weren’t. But I think Mathias Cormann is doing a fair bit of back peddling, and he needs to understand that this is a very real issue for people and people have strong views about it. Part of the job of any politician is to understand what your constituents are saying. Thank you.
ENDS