We must fix scourge of sexual abuse, self-harm and childhood suicide

The frustration and utter despair on the face of Corina Abraham speaks louder than words (“She was brave and now she’s gone. We must make sure her voice is heard”, 22/10). The death of Abraham’s 11-year-old niece, yet another Indigenous child victim of inter-generational sexual abuse and domestic violence, highlights once again the ongoing dysfunction and lack of accountability infesting some Aboriginal communities.

Despite the platitudes, the well-intentioned administrative efforts to “close the gap” and Indigenous demands for a voice in federal parliament, nothing is happening to arrest this exponentially increasing scourge of sexual abuse, self-harm and childhood suicide.

While two Indigenous adult men, Peter Humes and Harry Nannup, have been arrested and charged over numerous child sex offences, yet another optimistic, brave and talented little girl, who had her entire life ahead of her, is deceased, a victim of community and governmental ineptness and culpable irresponsibility. Let’s label it for what it is, “neglect”, governmental/societal neglect and the basic violation of the human rights of our most vulnerable, our precious children.

Indigenous communities themselves, our state governments and our federal authorities all stand condemned. It has been 18 years since the Gordon inquiry promised the appointment of an Aboriginal children’s commissioner and a “one-stop shop, holistic service for victims”. How many Indigenous children have suffered and died since then? Instead of effectively dealing with this rampant and insidious problem, since 2002 abuse and domestic violence have been allowed to accelerate and, even more disturbingly, become “normalised” within families.

Without any measure of confidence in anyone actually solving what appears an insoluble problem, let’s seriously reconsider, irrespective of potential cultural outrage, the permanent removal of endangered children to a “sanctuary”, a safe and secure home where love, nutrition, education and real parenting can be guaranteed. With nothing else working, a policy of Stolen Generation Mark II, while it may be offensive to some, may just save vulnerable, innocent, indigenous lives.

Lyle Geyer, Essendon, Vic

Subs need advocacy

I completely agree with Greg Sheridan about how the government is mishandling the Navy’s submarine project (“PM must replace Reynolds with Dutton at Defence”, 22/10). But I disagree with him about the two defence portfolio ministers, Linda Reynolds and Melissa Price.

As the editor of Australian Defence Magazine during the 1990s and early 2000s, I watched governments of the day, the Department of Defence and the Navy refuse to comment on the Collins-class submarine project. They stupidly lost complete control of the narrative surrounding the project and allowed a vacuum to emerge that was filled by the critics, haters and ratbags who, as Sheridan points out, “wouldn’t know a submarine if it bit them at bath time”. Like Sheridan, I am a supporter of the submarine capability and project and it grieves me deeply that those same mistakes are now being repeated on the Future Submarine project.

I disagree with Sheridan about the ministers. To my mind, they have been active advocates for the portfolio in general. In particular, Price has been a vocal and energetic advocate for the growth and strengthening of Australia’s defence industry and innovation sectors and we have seen an unprecedented and very welcome continuity of defence industry policy since the 2016 Defence White Paper.

Perhaps Sheridan spends too long inside a virtual Canberra bubble and doesn’t look at their performance from the perspective of an outsider.

Gregor Ferguson, former editor, Australian Defence Magazine, Hunters Hill, NSW