Barry Morris within this book explores the postcolonial period of 1970s – 1990s as Indigenous Australians struggle for equality, recognition and autonomy as citizens of Australia. Morris illustrates this period as an era of socio-economic and political change informed by neoliberal policies. Morris defines neoliberalism as an ideology that is “conspicuous for its belligerent free market approach to economic development and demands for trade liberalisation, privatisation of state industries, and deregulation of markets and wages” (p.3). Morris states that this ideology gave rise to an environment filled with racial tensions as colonial issues such as dispossession and assimilation were substituted with ‘progressive’ discourses. Morris aims to
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Morris outlines that the Brewarrina Riot led to the arrest of 17 Aborigines due to the conflict between a group of Aborigines mourning for the death of Lloyd Boney in a public park, white patrons of an adjacent hotel and the police. Morris recounts that Boney was “found hanged by a football sock in a police cell” (p.18), however whether this was murder or suicide it could not be said. In honour of Boney, a wake was organised in a public park on the 15th of August 1987, however, this wake was met with hostilities from the white patrons in the hotel across the park. The police equipped with riot gears such as batons and shields responded to this affair by “breaking up the wake and driving mourners out of the park” (p.19). The Aborigines confronted the police and white patrons with swearing and throwing of beer bottles while white patrons held guns from the hotel across the park. The media immediately labelled this incident as a “violent eruption” (p.19) from the part of the Aborigines, while the white patrons and the police were portrayed as victims. This lead to the criminal trial R v. Bates, Murray and Orcher …show more content…
He draws on the findings of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (RCIADIC) which investigated “the role of the police, police actions and procedures” (p.119) in cases of deaths in custody. While investigating the death of Boney, the Royal Commission found an underlying social issue that caused tension between Aboriginal and non-Aborigines. The Royal Commission documented that “during the ‘Bicentenary Celebrations’ the police had misinterpreted innocent actions of a group of Aborigines as an act of terrorism”(p.98), this gave rise to a state of paranoia and fear among white Australian society. Based on these findings, Morris illustrates a postcolonial society with an increased “need for police powers of intervention, regulation and control of public order offences” (p.74). This was powered through the reintroduction of the Summary Offences Act 1970 (NSW) which invested “police with greater discretionary powers of arrest over public order offences” (p.75). Previous existing laws such as the Aborigines Protection (Amendment) Act 1940 – a restrictive act which banned Aborigines from drinking alcohol – also empowered this new authority. Such laws had direct implications for Aboriginal communities. A study from the New South Wales Bureau of Crime and Statistics showed that “police arrests of and charges against Aborigines were
Morris outlines that the Brewarrina Riot led to the arrest of 17 Aborigines due to the conflict between a group of Aborigines mourning for the death of Lloyd Boney in a public park, white patrons of an adjacent hotel and the police. Morris recounts that Boney was “found hanged by a football sock in a police cell” (p.18), however whether this was murder or suicide it could not be said. In honour of Boney, a wake was organised in a public park on the 15th of August 1987, however, this wake was met with hostilities from the white patrons in the hotel across the park. The police equipped with riot gears such as batons and shields responded to this affair by “breaking up the wake and driving mourners out of the park” (p.19). The Aborigines confronted the police and white patrons with swearing and throwing of beer bottles while white patrons held guns from the hotel across the park. The media immediately labelled this incident as a “violent eruption” (p.19) from the part of the Aborigines, while the white patrons and the police were portrayed as victims. This lead to the criminal trial R v. Bates, Murray and Orcher …show more content…
He draws on the findings of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (RCIADIC) which investigated “the role of the police, police actions and procedures” (p.119) in cases of deaths in custody. While investigating the death of Boney, the Royal Commission found an underlying social issue that caused tension between Aboriginal and non-Aborigines. The Royal Commission documented that “during the ‘Bicentenary Celebrations’ the police had misinterpreted innocent actions of a group of Aborigines as an act of terrorism”(p.98), this gave rise to a state of paranoia and fear among white Australian society. Based on these findings, Morris illustrates a postcolonial society with an increased “need for police powers of intervention, regulation and control of public order offences” (p.74). This was powered through the reintroduction of the Summary Offences Act 1970 (NSW) which invested “police with greater discretionary powers of arrest over public order offences” (p.75). Previous existing laws such as the Aborigines Protection (Amendment) Act 1940 – a restrictive act which banned Aborigines from drinking alcohol – also empowered this new authority. Such laws had direct implications for Aboriginal communities. A study from the New South Wales Bureau of Crime and Statistics showed that “police arrests of and charges against Aborigines were