There have been nearly 600 First Nations deaths in custody since the final report of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (RCIADIC) was tabled in 1991. Twelve First Nations people have died in custody this year — 31% of total deaths in custody — a massive over-representation of First Nations people, who only make up 3.8% of the total population.

The RCIADIC was limited in scope, failed to properly identify the systematic racism at the heart of the issue and did not result in the prosecution of any of the killers in the 99 cases that it investigated.

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But it made 339 modest, and entirely practical, recommendations for reforms that could reduce, if not eliminate, First Nations people’s deaths in custody. Yet, after 34 years, these reforms have yet to be fully implemented.

After falling after the RCIADIC, First Nations deaths in custody have been rising sharply again.

This is because the main cause, as the RCIADIAC identified, is the higher incarceration rate of First Nations people.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported on June 30 last year that 36% of all prisoners in Australia were Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.

So, was it worthwhile for First Nations and allied activists to put so much time and energy into campaigning for a royal commission back in the 1980s?

My answer is: Yes.

On September 28, 1983, 16-year-old First Nations youth John Pat was killed by off-duty police in Roebourne, in the Pilbara in Western Australia. The autopsy revealed a fractured skull, haemorrhage and swelling, as well as bruising and tearing of the brain.

John Pat had sustained a number of massive blows to the head.

One bruise at the back of his head was the size of the palm of a hand,........

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