PRIME MINISTER 27/ 92
STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER, THE HON. P. J. KEATING, MP
MOCKERY OF ABORIGINAL DEATHS A NATIONAL DISGRACE
The scene on television tonight of two police officers
mocking the death of Aboriginal people was sickening.
Their behavior brings disgrace on themselves, on their
police force and~ on Australia.
I think every decent Australian tonight will feel anger and
shame at this incident.
The Aboriginal Deaths in Custody report should have made
Australians reconsider their attitudes to Aboriginal people
and their circumstances.
The episode iLn Bourke, and recent evidence of similar racist
behavior in Sydney, suggests that for some Australians
nothing has changed.
Two weeks ago I told the Council for Aboriginal
Reconciliation that I didn't want talk, I wanted changes,
real changes.
I told them -that we had to close the gap in living standards
and we had to change attitudes.
These incidents show how much the onus is still on white
Australians to make that change.
Whatever economic and material progress we make, whatever
progess we make towards what we think will be a good
society, wil. l be nothing if our attitudes to Aboriginal
people contin-. ue to be no better than those of the 19th
century. CANBERRA March 12 1992
Keating, Paul
Period of Service: 20/12/1991 - 11/03/1996
Find more information on Keating, Paul on the:
Release Date:
12/03/1992
Release Type:
Media Release
Transcript ID:
8457
Document:
00008457.pdf
1 Page(s)
Released by:
- Keating, Paul John
STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER, THE HON P J KEATING MP
8457