Carpenter Stymies Coroner over Secret Aboriginal Report

Carpenter's Insensitivity to Grieving Aboriginal Families

Premier Alan Carpenter continues to cause many Aboriginal people anguish and hurt over his refusal to give the State Coroner Alastair Hope a copy of a Report on the Department of Aboriginal Affairs. The Report came from a public review of the Department of Indigenous Affairs. Because Carpenter does not agree with findings of the report, he has refuses to release it to the public and now has refused to give the State Coroner a copy!

The State Coroner Alastair Hope is investigating 20 alcohol and drug-related suicides among Aboriginal people and wants to the benefit of the advice from the wide ranging review chaired by Dawn Casey the Indigenous head of the WA Museum.

Coroner Alastair Hope said he "wanted to see if there was any cohesive plan in place to deal with the many issues facing indigenous communities." He has now subpoenaed Mal Wauchope the head of Carpenter's Premier's Department to explain and cough-up the Casey Report and the Sanderson Reports.

Carpenter will eventually have to release the report. He will be forced into that course of action by public pressure.

The Desert Rat will reveal more scandal about the now secret Casey Report in a future article.

While Carpenter learns the hard way, hundreds of Aboriginal families that have lost young family members will remember this callous disregard of their feelings. Does he care? Carol Martin the Aboriginal Member for the Kimberley has made no public attempt to pressure Carpenter to release this report to the public and the Coroner. Her silence is deafening; does she care?

Lift your game on Aboriginal issues Alan, and release the Report.