Justice Minister opens Aboriginal meeting place at Roebourne Prison

6/7/00

A meeting place for spiritual and cultural activities was officially opened within the grounds of Roebourne Regional Prison by Attorney General Peter Foss today.
Traditional Aboriginal food, stories of the dreaming and hunting grounds, yarning and tree planting all formed part of the ceremony for the area which will be called 'Yotha Mia' - an Aboriginal word for shade house.
"The meeting places initiative is designed to assist in maintaining and fostering cultural links and associations both within the prison setting and with the wider community," Mr Foss said.
"Meeting places may be utilised for a number of purposes, such as facilitating visits by Aboriginal elders from the community to meet with prisoners and assist them with matters relating to their cultural or spiritual needs.
"Similarly it will allow Aboriginal prisoners the opportunity to sit and talk about a range of issues or concerns of importance to them.
"Considering the disproportionate number of Aboriginal prisoners in custody in Western Australia, it is important to provide opportunities for Aboriginal culture to be celebrated.
"The meeting place at Roebourne was built using timber and shade cloth and although these are not strictly traditional materials, it does resemble structures similar to those used in the meeting grounds at Woodbrook Station, not far from here.
"Additionally a fireplace has been dug and a covering of river sand, taken from an area close to the law grounds, has been spread under the trees."
The Ministry is in the process of establishing meeting places in all prisons throughout the State, with the first opened last year at Bandyup Women's Prison.
"Since then meeting places at Greenough, Broome, Eastern Goldfields, Bunbury, Albany and Pardelup have been opened, with suitable sites and structures nearing completion at Wooroloo, Karnet and Riverbank as well," Mr Foss said.
"While all sites are similar in purpose, the design of the structures built reflects the diversity of Aboriginal culture throughout the State.
"In each case, the size, shape, form and location of the meeting places have varied enabling the view of the prisoners and security requirements to be appropriately addressed."
Similar work at Hakea and Casuarina will not begin until later this year due to prison upgrading currently under way.
Mr Foss said that the development of the meeting place at Roebourne had strong endorsement by local Aboriginal elders and that their continued support was vital.
"I believe that the preservation of Aboriginal culture is very important to Aboriginal people," he said.
"The Ministry recognises that it must make every effort to provide opportunities for Aboriginal prisoners to maintain their cultural connections or to develop a stronger appreciation of their culture and spirituality as individuals.
"I am very supportive of the use of Aboriginal elders as a strong link to provide assistance with dealing with issues faced by Aboriginal prisoners, while elders also provide strong identity and appropriate role models particularly for younger prisoners.
"There are huge benefits, not only for the Aboriginal community but for the general community."
Media contact: Danielle Van Kampen - 9321 2222