Three of the Pilbara’s most respected elders have joined forces in anger to castigate WA’s Child Protection Minister for inferring that they were lying about the child-welfare scandal that has erupted. Kariyarra elder Pat Mason, Nyamal-Pitjikarli elder Doris Eaton and Nyamal-Wanman elder Linda Doogiebee said they had come together in South Hedland to save the community’s children and demand a royal commission into the crisis. “It’s time we strong women stood together to save our kids, and we will stand firm until we get a royal commission,” they said in a joint statement. “This is not just child neglect by one department; this is negligence by a whole government.” The three women say they were disrespected by Child Protection Minister Jaessica Stojkovski, who flew in but failed to consult with elders about the child-protection furore gripping the Pilbara Region.
“We haven’t heard from her since the day she left town,” Ms Mason, 67, said. “We’ve not seen hide nor hair of that woman. We don’t know if she came in on the Concorde or a private jet. “We know she took a joy ride up Frisby Court … and then had the gall to say ‘that house wasn’t squalid’ and ‘there was no evidence of any neglected kids’. “How would she know? How can she keep her job when she’s not doing it?” Added Ms Doogiebee, 73: “That house was disgraceful and I’m sure she’s seen the pictures. She disrespected the elders in this community. We do not stand for disrespect. She has damaged the reputations of the elders in this town.” Ms Eaton, 76, said she had walked through the Frisby Court house earlier this year to witness the conditions in which children as young as 5 were “running like wild dogs” and living in filth without adults for days at a time.
“I spoke to the kids in there. There were 15 of them, I counted them running in and out, the little ones asleep up the back and I couldn’t go inside the bedrooms because they smelt so bad – it was just terrible,” Ms Eaton said. “Why hadn’t HomesWest gone in there and asked the Health Department to shut that house down, condemn it? Because it wasn’t fit for dogs.” After her visit, Ms Eaton said she rang the South Hedland office of the Department of Child Protection (DCP), reported that there were children at risk and told the agency they should treat the forgotten children of Frisby Court as “an emergency”. She did not receive a response. “The DCP ignored an elder in their own community,” Ms Eaton said. “They should be going into all the smashed-up houses in this town and checking on the kids in there because we don’t want another Alice Springs.
“I told them very firmly, ‘you need to visit this Frisby house’ but DCP didn’t listen to me. I think the whole office should be shut down. Our vulnerable kids wouldn’t be any at more risk without them, because DCP is not helping them anyway.” The town’s elders are also livid that a government-contracted clean-up crew descended on the Frisby Court house before the minister arrived. “The people in her offices up here were falling over themselves to Mr Sheen the place,” one said. “That house should never have been cleaned. It was a crime scene. That government removed the evidence of child sex abuse and drug use and violence. “I saw bongs and drugs remain in the laundry. The air conditioner had been smashed to pieces. We know a little boy got sexually abused in that house and other terrible crimes were committed there and the DCP wanted that covered up as fast as possible.”
Ms Doogiebee – the first Aboriginal woman to be employed by the WA public service, in the 1960s – said: “This is how a government behaves when it’s been caught out. It is time for truth-telling, not lies. We are here to tell the truth. And somebody has to be held accountable for Frisby Court.” The child-welfare scandal has forced the elders of Port Hedland to think deeply about their responsibilities towards the vulnerable children of their town. “We are all to blame, including myself,” Ms Eaton said. “Some of our people have closed their eyes, some of my community has not acted fast enough. We took our eyes off Frisby Court. I’m very upset.” As more DCP insiders break their silence to reveal the sordid history of disturbing cases of neglect and abuse, Ms Doogiebee said the strong Aboriginal leaders of Port Hedland would not rest “until every last stone is turned”.
“Before the next election, we want a royal commission into this sorry government agency that disempowers our families and will not prioritise the protection of indigenous children. For us, that’s very sad to see,” she said. Pressure has been building on WA Premier Roger Cook to stand down Ms Stojkovic as the inaugural National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People Sue-Anne Hunter prepares to discuss the child-protection crisis with families and leaders in Port Hedland. Aboriginal researcher and author Hannah McGlade, an adviser to the Noongar Council for Family Safety and Wellbeing in WA and a member of the UN Permanent Forum for Indigenous Issues, said Ms Stojkovski “doesn’t seem to have the experience, understanding or even commitment to Aboriginal kids in vulnerable circumstances”. “Her responses have not inspired any confidence of her ability to oversee such a sensitive portfolio,” Dr McGlade said.
WA’s largest collective of Aboriginal community organisations is calling on the commonwealth to play its part following Anthony Albanese’s attempt to deflect questions about the crisis by describing it as a state issue. Council of Aboriginal Services WA chairman Chris Bin Kali said: “We understand that the federal government does not have statutory child protection powers, but they do have the ability to fund early intervention, family support, and family and domestic violence support to make a real difference. Child protection is a complex and challenging issue, and we are not saying it is an easy fix. What we are saying is if achieving Closing the Gap targets on child protection is truly a priority, then all levels of government need to show clear leadership, and look towards strong policy, priority funding, and Aboriginal-led solutions.”
Source: Compiled by APN from media reports
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