Last month, the failure of Australian governments to implement the 339 recommendations of the 1991 Royal commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody report was a major story in parts of the Australian media. This failure should be no surprise because by 1995, the implementation of the Royal Commission recommendations for change was already described as a 'tragic farce'. In this post, I explore the media's contribution to that failure and signs of both hope and concern thirty years after the Royal Commission.
Bingo Industries is still causing terrible odours in Western Sydney. The EPA has not used its powers to shut the site down but has restricted Bingo's landfill licence and ordered it to install a gas burning plant. Local MPs, Blacktown Council and residents say they won't stop campaigning until the odours are gone for good.