Was government’s failure to respond to the threat of COVID in the far west of NSW “an act of genocide?”

With nearly a thousand  cases of covid 19 in the far west of NSW First Nations health leaders and Elders say that the state  government has  failed to  adequately consult with local  Aboriginal medical services in those regions.

The Mayor of Broken Hill, Councillor Darriea Turley has told a NSW parliamentary inquiry into the government’s management of the covid pandemic that the spread of the virus in overcrowded housing in the far west should have been planned for – given how well known the problem was.

Campervans rolling into Wilcannia – photo courtesy BB Adams

Speaking to CAAMA Radio Cr. Turley also said  that there  had been too much emphasis by government to provide relevant  covid information through the web and  Facebook- but this option was not always available for  people living in regional parts of the state.

The government would have known for years that there was a housing crisis in communities like Wilcannia, like Broken Hill – yet we still see no action!

Listen to the full interview with the Mayor of Broken Hill Cr. Darriea Turley here: