The scissors and the wound

Musical Dispatch from the Front by FRANK BAARDA

Living in Yuendumu and having followed the Death in Custody saga, I was looking forward to the Coroner's report. I was not disappointed. A friend forwarded me the pdf, all 683 pages of it. Another friend reported on Malarndirri McCarthy, Minister for Indigenous Australians and Senator for NT's interview on Radio National.

The interviewer opened with: "Minister what do you hope comes from the Kumanjayi Walker inquest findings?"

The minister did not answer the question, nor say anything of any import when she replied with: "It's been a while coming Kylie. This is a journey that the people of Yuendumu and Central Australia in particular have waited quite some time for. They've been through many other traumas since that time and I know that today will be particularly important, especially for the elders of the Yuendumu community."

I'll spare you the rest of my friend's report. Just let me assure you it doesn't get any better.

Another friend has kept me informed of events in Yuendumu by forwarding me items from behind paywalls I refuse to pay at.

Much repeated (as it should) is the fact that just before that the policeman [Zachary Rolfe – ED], discharged his firearm, he was grievously assailed and stabbed. In case you missed it, here photos of the edged weapon and the stab-wound.

I did catch Patricia Karvelas on the ABC's Afternoon Briefing interviewing Mick Gooda. Mick was a co-commissioner on the so called Don Dale Royal Commission. From memory one of the Royal Commission's main recommendations was that Don Dale be closed down. That was in 2017.

So there was Patricia asking her usual not so crash hot questions and Mick was answering as best as he could. Mick was rather unenthusiastic about the possibility of the Walker inquest resulting in anything worthwhile. After all, Don Dale remained open, eight years after Mick's Royal Commission.

The conversation shifted to the intention of NT Police to increase recruiting of Aborigines to 30% of the force.

Mick piped up and in a couple of sentences encapsulated the whole sorry mess: "If my children decide they want to join the NT Police, I would do my utmost to talk them out of it."

Here is a song of great social and political import.