Queensland truth-telling inquiry hears from witnesses

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Queensland's truth and healing inquiry has heard from witnesses recounting their lived experience at the Aboriginal reserve of Cherbourg, west of Brisbane.

Transcript

00:00At the second day of hearings at Queensland's Truth and Healing Inquiry here in Brisbane,

00:07we've heard from Waka Waka man, Uncle David Ragg.

00:10Now, Uncle David was generous in sharing his lived experience of being forced to live at

00:16the Sherburgh Aboriginal Reserve Boys' Dormitory as a child.

00:21At the age of nine, he was separated from his parents and forced to live in this boys'

00:25dormitory.

00:26This youngest sibling at the time was just a baby, three and a half years old, and Uncle

00:31David spoke of the grief and loss of being separated from his baby brother.

00:36Now, Uncle David Ragg, he recounted a haunting story, really, of having to duck to the toilets

00:42in the middle of the night because the toilet block was separate from the Sherburgh Boys'

00:46Dormitory.

00:48He said he would never do this alone, though, always waking up a brother or a friend to

00:52go with him.

00:54He says this was because of the abuse that many of the boys suffered, physical, mental

00:59and emotional abuse, but also sexual abuse.

01:01He says this is because the boys' dormitory at Sherburgh didn't have security.

01:06Adults from the outside had access and they were allowed to stay there overnight.

01:10Now, Uncle David Ragg says this is a reason why he has put so much of his life's work

01:15into child protection and advocating for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids.

01:21He says that adults and stranger adults should never be allowed to stay under the same roof

01:25as children.

01:27Uncle David would like to see recommendations at the end of this inquiry, which should last

01:32for three years, he said, but if the LNP wins power in Queensland next month, the Opposition

01:39Leader, David Crisafulli, said that he would wind back the Path to Treaty Act, including

01:46the inquiry.

01:47The recommendation that Uncle David Ragg would most like to see come out of this inquiry

01:53is that this true history be implemented and cemented in the state's school curriculum

01:59so that educators and teachers have access to these resources to teach children and students

02:04about the history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in missions and reserves

02:09about stolen generations and stolen wages.

02:12The hearings will continue on Friday.

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