MEDIA STATEMENT BY THE ABORIGINAL LEGAL SERVICE OF WA, 16 March 2010
MEDIA STATEMENT BY THE ABORIGINAL LEGAL SERVICE OF WA, 16 March 2010
The Aboriginal Legal Service of WA (ALSWA) is shocked that an Aboriginal prisoner attending a family funeral has ended up in Royal Perth Hospital due to being transported in a vehicle with faulty air-conditioning.
“I am horrified that Mr. Yarran collapsed in the back of a prison vehicle whilst in the care of prison officers and was hospitalised overnight as a result. This could have very easily had a more tragic outcome when you consider that Perth’s temperature last Friday (12th March 2010) soared above forty degrees” said Mr. John Bedford, ALSWA Executive Officer and Acting CEO.
“Surely the past few years and investigations into the tragic and unnecessary death of respected Elder Mr. Ward in the back of a vehicle have had some impact on current transport practices”.
ALSWA will follow up on this matter with the Department of Corrective Services to determine how such a situation has arisen.
“We intend to make a complaint about this incident and seriously hope that something so potentially life threatening never occurs again” said Mr. Bedford.
