CoMHWA calls for urgent action to end Aboriginal deaths in custody

CoMHWA condemns the shocking, preventable death in custody of a young Aboriginal man in Kalgoorlie, whose calls for help were ignored by a police officer who laughed about the incident later in a voice message. ABC reported on the incident on the 1st of September – the full article is available to read online, with a content warning that there is explicit discussion of suicide and self-harm. The article also contains images and names of Aboriginal people who have died.

This tragic death is part of much bigger problem: Western Australia has the highest rates of Indigenous deaths in custody per capita of any Australian state or territory, over three decades since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.

Human rights and law academic Dr Hannah McGlade called the audio message ‘vile’, pointing out that this incident is not an isolated one but is a sign of systemic racism that persists despite years of reform efforts.

CoMHWA calls for urgent action: comprehensive reforms, genuine accountability and an end to Aboriginal lives being dismissed or lost within carceral systems.