Mr ADAMSON - 1994-11-29
I remind the minister of the recent unrest in the Nyirripi community. I draw his attention to claims by Mr Charles Perkins that there were no problems at the community until police arrived and that police then used Gestapo tactics in relation to a domestic dispute. I understand that this is the second occasion in recent times when a senior Aboriginal leader has chosen to attack the police. Can the minister advise the House as to the accuracy of these claims?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, it is important that there is an opportunity to answer this question. As the member pointed out, Mr Perkins, the deputy commissioner of ATSIC, made quite serious allegations. It is the second time that he has made such allegations in regard to police action in remote Aboriginal communities over the last few months. Before going further, I must say that the job of police in remote Australia is extremely difficult and that no community leader should ever make judgments in relation to the actions of police until the matter has been clarified and both sides of the story have been heard.
In recent days, newspaper and radio reports have included interviews with Mr Perkins. In the course of these interviews, he has accused the police of: overacting to what was only a family disturbance at Nyirripi; pushing council members aside when they offered to assist police in quelling the disturbance; lying about 4 women being assaulted; stating there was only 1 assault; threatening young people from the community with arrest if they did not assist the police in locating liquor brought into the restricted area; conducting illegal searches of houses, people and their belongings, including women's handbags when searching for alcohol; closing the school, store and council office, and telling people to leave the community because it was unsafe; and arresting old people, and taking them away. It is interesting that these accusations are based on the premise that there was no problem at all until the police arrived. I believe we all understand that that was not the case.
The reality was that on 19 and 20 November, police attended a complaint of a major disturbance at Nyirripi after more than 14 cartons of beer, 21 casks of wine and 4 bottles of rum had been consumed by up to 50 persons at the community in a period of between 4 and 6 hours. Three police officers and Aboriginal community police officers responded to the
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incident. They were called to the community; they did not simply turn up. Resources did not allow the attending police to take people into protective custody. In other words, there were so many people in a state that rendered them appropriate to be taken into protective custody that the police were unable to cope. When a community is in that state, as someone pointed out, a squadron of SAS would be needed to take any action. Nevertheless, 5 males were arrested for specific offences and outstanding warrants.
No council member approached the police to offer assistance and the council president, Lindsay Turner, was allegedly at home so drunk that he could not stand. Mr Turner's house was searched for alcohol under the provisions of section 95 of the Liquor Act. About 40 freshly-consumed beer cans and 5 empty wine casks were found in the residence. Five women from the community assisted police to identify the main offenders involved in a number of offences, including assaults on 4 women who were treated for their injuries at the health clinic. Many of the men, who were intoxicated, had gone to Emu Bore, which is nearby, on learning that police were on the way to the community. The police did not pursue those people because they wished to avoid the probability of a violent confrontation. That was after they had assessed the situation and ascertained the condition of those people. Reports regarding vehicle damage and other criminal damage were taken with the view of pursuing further inquiries at a later time. The police left Nyirripi when the situation returned to something near normal.
On Monday 21 November, a further complaint was received as a result of the arrival of more alcohol at the community and advice that it was probable that more would arrive later. Three police from Yuendumu and 2 from Papunya responded. One person was taken into protective custody and later released when he had sobered up sufficiently. At the time of the disturbances, the town administrator was absent from the community. A number of people there expressed their intention to police of resigning and leaving the community immediately. There was an exodus of non-Aboriginal persons from the community. At no time did police request or recommend the closure of any offices or government agencies at Nyirripi, nor did they at any time search individuals. Two houses were searched by police, but this was with the consent and agreement of the occupants. No persons were threatened or intimidated in any way. Certainly, the police acknowledged the valuable assistance provided by a number of women in the community, but expressed great disappointment at the uncooperative nature of male members of the community and, in particular, the lack of support and assistance from the council. As of 28 November, I am advised that 2 persons have been charged with numerous liquor-related offences. Several more people are to be summonsed for consuming liquor in a restricted area.
I would like to add to what I said earlier. The job of the police in remote areas is very difficult. The police are attempting to provide a service to people who complain to them about their circumstances. They arrive at a community that is extremely hostile and have to carry out a most difficult task whilst attempting to minimise the violence and confrontation that could result if the matter was approached indiscreetly. After they have done all that, for a community leader to denigrate their actions publicly by describing their actions as Gestapo-like is, to say the very least, extremely disappointing. In my view, it is worse than that and it is totally irresponsible. Some of the Leader of the Opposition's actions in attempting to deny publicly that there was any problem, possibly provide support for that kind of activity.
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Mr Ede: What?
Mr MANZIE: The Leader of the Opposition interjects.
Mr EDE: A point of order, Mr Speaker! The minister is totally misrepresenting what I said.
Mr Coulter: You said that it did not happen.
Mr EDE: What a load of garbage! I said that you should have police there.
Members interjecting.
Mr EDE: The minister is accusing me of denying what occurred at Nyirripi. By implication, he is saying that I am being critical of the people who made the complaints. I believe that, if he wants to raise issues of that nature against me, he should do so under standing order 62. He knows full well that the Hansard states how I raised this matter and what my position is in relation to getting police resources there.
Mr SPEAKER: The Leader of the Opposition may seek leave to make a personal explanation if he so chooses. There is no point of order.
Mr MANZIE: I am surprised at the Leader of the Opposition's outcry because we were all in the Chamber last Thursday when he said that none of it was true, that he had been speaking to the chairman of the council and that it did not happen.
Mrs Hickey interjecting.
Mr MANZIE: That is what he said. I suggest that, rather than continuing along these lines, he should be working hard to attempt to solve some of the problems in that community. Refusing to face reality or attempting to pretend that it is all someone else's fault is not the way to solve these problems.
I am surprised at the reaction of a number of senior people in the Aboriginal community and a number of politicians, including the Leader of the Opposition who still refuses to acknowledge what he said on Thursday. Perhaps he should not be blamed when he makes contact and someone tells him something, but I suggest that he be a little more cautious and not jump to conclusions. He should realise that there are 2 sides to every story. I have not yet heard him stand up and apologise for saying that nothing happened and that it was only a domestic. It would be nice if he would provide some support to the police and possibly chastise Mr Perkins for his comments which, as I said earlier, were inappropriate and certainly contrary to the facts.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, it is important that there is an opportunity to answer this question. As the member pointed out, Mr Perkins, the deputy commissioner of ATSIC, made quite serious allegations. It is the second time that he has made such allegations in regard to police action in remote Aboriginal communities over the last few months. Before going further, I must say that the job of police in remote Australia is extremely difficult and that no community leader should ever make judgments in relation to the actions of police until the matter has been clarified and both sides of the story have been heard.
In recent days, newspaper and radio reports have included interviews with Mr Perkins. In the course of these interviews, he has accused the police of: overacting to what was only a family disturbance at Nyirripi; pushing council members aside when they offered to assist police in quelling the disturbance; lying about 4 women being assaulted; stating there was only 1 assault; threatening young people from the community with arrest if they did not assist the police in locating liquor brought into the restricted area; conducting illegal searches of houses, people and their belongings, including women's handbags when searching for alcohol; closing the school, store and council office, and telling people to leave the community because it was unsafe; and arresting old people, and taking them away. It is interesting that these accusations are based on the premise that there was no problem at all until the police arrived. I believe we all understand that that was not the case.
The reality was that on 19 and 20 November, police attended a complaint of a major disturbance at Nyirripi after more than 14 cartons of beer, 21 casks of wine and 4 bottles of rum had been consumed by up to 50 persons at the community in a period of between 4 and 6 hours. Three police officers and Aboriginal community police officers responded to the
Page 333
incident. They were called to the community; they did not simply turn up. Resources did not allow the attending police to take people into protective custody. In other words, there were so many people in a state that rendered them appropriate to be taken into protective custody that the police were unable to cope. When a community is in that state, as someone pointed out, a squadron of SAS would be needed to take any action. Nevertheless, 5 males were arrested for specific offences and outstanding warrants.
No council member approached the police to offer assistance and the council president, Lindsay Turner, was allegedly at home so drunk that he could not stand. Mr Turner's house was searched for alcohol under the provisions of section 95 of the Liquor Act. About 40 freshly-consumed beer cans and 5 empty wine casks were found in the residence. Five women from the community assisted police to identify the main offenders involved in a number of offences, including assaults on 4 women who were treated for their injuries at the health clinic. Many of the men, who were intoxicated, had gone to Emu Bore, which is nearby, on learning that police were on the way to the community. The police did not pursue those people because they wished to avoid the probability of a violent confrontation. That was after they had assessed the situation and ascertained the condition of those people. Reports regarding vehicle damage and other criminal damage were taken with the view of pursuing further inquiries at a later time. The police left Nyirripi when the situation returned to something near normal.
On Monday 21 November, a further complaint was received as a result of the arrival of more alcohol at the community and advice that it was probable that more would arrive later. Three police from Yuendumu and 2 from Papunya responded. One person was taken into protective custody and later released when he had sobered up sufficiently. At the time of the disturbances, the town administrator was absent from the community. A number of people there expressed their intention to police of resigning and leaving the community immediately. There was an exodus of non-Aboriginal persons from the community. At no time did police request or recommend the closure of any offices or government agencies at Nyirripi, nor did they at any time search individuals. Two houses were searched by police, but this was with the consent and agreement of the occupants. No persons were threatened or intimidated in any way. Certainly, the police acknowledged the valuable assistance provided by a number of women in the community, but expressed great disappointment at the uncooperative nature of male members of the community and, in particular, the lack of support and assistance from the council. As of 28 November, I am advised that 2 persons have been charged with numerous liquor-related offences. Several more people are to be summonsed for consuming liquor in a restricted area.
I would like to add to what I said earlier. The job of the police in remote areas is very difficult. The police are attempting to provide a service to people who complain to them about their circumstances. They arrive at a community that is extremely hostile and have to carry out a most difficult task whilst attempting to minimise the violence and confrontation that could result if the matter was approached indiscreetly. After they have done all that, for a community leader to denigrate their actions publicly by describing their actions as Gestapo-like is, to say the very least, extremely disappointing. In my view, it is worse than that and it is totally irresponsible. Some of the Leader of the Opposition's actions in attempting to deny publicly that there was any problem, possibly provide support for that kind of activity.
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Mr Ede: What?
Mr MANZIE: The Leader of the Opposition interjects.
Mr EDE: A point of order, Mr Speaker! The minister is totally misrepresenting what I said.
Mr Coulter: You said that it did not happen.
Mr EDE: What a load of garbage! I said that you should have police there.
Members interjecting.
Mr EDE: The minister is accusing me of denying what occurred at Nyirripi. By implication, he is saying that I am being critical of the people who made the complaints. I believe that, if he wants to raise issues of that nature against me, he should do so under standing order 62. He knows full well that the Hansard states how I raised this matter and what my position is in relation to getting police resources there.
Mr SPEAKER: The Leader of the Opposition may seek leave to make a personal explanation if he so chooses. There is no point of order.
Mr MANZIE: I am surprised at the Leader of the Opposition's outcry because we were all in the Chamber last Thursday when he said that none of it was true, that he had been speaking to the chairman of the council and that it did not happen.
Mrs Hickey interjecting.
Mr MANZIE: That is what he said. I suggest that, rather than continuing along these lines, he should be working hard to attempt to solve some of the problems in that community. Refusing to face reality or attempting to pretend that it is all someone else's fault is not the way to solve these problems.
I am surprised at the reaction of a number of senior people in the Aboriginal community and a number of politicians, including the Leader of the Opposition who still refuses to acknowledge what he said on Thursday. Perhaps he should not be blamed when he makes contact and someone tells him something, but I suggest that he be a little more cautious and not jump to conclusions. He should realise that there are 2 sides to every story. I have not yet heard him stand up and apologise for saying that nothing happened and that it was only a domestic. It would be nice if he would provide some support to the police and possibly chastise Mr Perkins for his comments which, as I said earlier, were inappropriate and certainly contrary to the facts.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016