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The Broome Shire has accused the West Australian Government of failing to address what it calls the “third world” living conditions of Aboriginal visitors to the town.

Hundreds of people camp in the town’s sand dunes and mangroves while visiting Broome to access medical and legal services, visit their families or purchase alcohol.

The shire last year submitted a report on the urgent need for a campsite and hostel.

The Shire president, Graeme Campbell, says the Government’s response has been woefully inadequate.

“This is third world stuff,” he said.

“I’ve been to Africa, I’ve been in shanty towns and I’ll tell you what, the people there are far better looked after than the people who are visiting this town for a variety of reasons.”

“When you’ve got the congregating and the sleeping rough, then it’s just not acceptable in Australia. I don’t believe it is acceptable in Australia.”

Mr Campbell says children are being put at risk.

“When you’re living outside, no house, no toilet, no showers, limited access to food, alcohol abuse, sexual abuse; these are only some aspects to it.”

“Children are not safe, and people are not safe. I ask, where is the Department of Child Protection in this exercise?”

In a written statement, the WA Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Kim Hames, said the shire’s proposal remains under consideration.

He says the Department of Indegnous Affairs is working on a “strategic approach to implementing the strategies”.

The Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister, Jenny Macklin, has been contacted for comment.

The WA Attorney-General Christian Porter says he will push for an interim ex-gratia payment for the family of an Aboriginal elder who died in custody.

Mr Ward died from heatstroke in January 2008 after being transported in the back of a prison van through the Goldfields on a 40 degree day.

The State Government is still assessing the family’s claim for an ex-gratia payment.

However, the Attorney-General Christian Porter has told Parliament he will recommend to Cabinet that Mr Ward’s family receive an interim payment while the overall settlement is finalised.

A coronial inquest into Mr Ward’s death was highly critical of the Department of Corrective Services, the two prison van drivers and their employer, which was fined $100,000.

A spokesman for Deaths in Custody, Marc Newhouse, told the ABC that Mr Ward’s family is destitute and relying on charity to survive.

“It’s outrageous that it’s now over, well over two years and still there’s been no compensation,” he said.

New rules aimed at curbing alcohol abuse at Ceduna on South Australia’s west coast are being circumvented by some residents.

Police are vowing to crack down on the practice.

Under rules introduced last year, Aborigines from west coast communities such as Yalata are allowed only low-strength beer when they buy take-away alcohol from Ceduna’s hotels.

But Senior Sergeant Tom Rieniets says some residents are breaking the rules by buying full-strength alcohol and passing it on illegally, sometimes for profit.

“We have several strategies that obviously I can’t discuss but it is a difficult policing issue,” he said.

Ceduna’s mayor Allan Suter says it has been disappointing, given the rules were requested by Aboriginal communities themselves.

“They are seriously harming their health in many cases and these measures are designed to alleviate that problem,” he said.

Police have indicated that two prosecutions may be pursued.

Fresh statements from police officers who served on Palm Island, in north Queensland, will be tendered at the reopened inquest into a death in custody.

Cameron Doomadgee died at the local watch-house in 2004.

The reopened coronial inquiry moves from Palm Island to Townsville today.

Testimony is expected from policemen who were at the Palm Island police station the day Mr Doomadgee was brought in to custody by Senior Sergeant Chris Hurley.

New statements are also expected on whether or not a mirror was located near where the prisoner was taken in to the watch-house.

Witness Roy Bramwell testified he saw Sergeant Hurley punch and knee Mr Doomadgee from where he was sitting in the station, because it was reflected in the mirror.

Video evidence shows no sign of a mirror, but a new witness called late yesterday said there was a mirror in the area indicated by Mr Bramwell.

The coordinator of a children’s health program in the Torres Strait, off far north Queensland, says she will call for more funding for the region during meetings in Canberra today.

Rita Kebisu from Badu Island is taking part in Oxfam’s Straight Talk Summit, along with a group of Indigenous women from across the country.

The women will meet with senators and ministers today.

Ms Kebisu says she will raise issues including the high rate of chronic disease and the need for a freight subsidy to reduce the cost of living.

“We’d like more funding. We’d also like programs in place for our disengaged students, more culturally appropriate educational programs,” she said.

The group has already met the Governor-General and the Indigenous Affairs Minister.

Ms Kebisu says they are there to share stories.

“It’s also for us to empower ourselves with decision making. How we can overcome some of these issues by learning from other people and it’s also building our self-confidence,” she said.

New evidence has been presented at a fresh inquest into the death in custody of Palm Island man Cameron Doomadgee from north Queensland.

Roy Bramwell was at the Palm Island police station in 2004 when Cameron Doomadgee was brought in by Senior Sergeant Chris Hurley.

Mr Bramwell testified at the original coronial inquest in 2005 he saw the police officer’s arm moving in a punching motion towards the prisoner.

But he did not see the punches connect because he could not see around a filing cabinet.

Today Mr Bramwell told the re-opened inquest he saw Sgt Hurley kneeing and punching Mr Doomadgee clearly from the reflection in a mirror.

In video evidence shown to the court today, no mirror could be seen.

However former community police officer Vincent Thimble told the court there had been a mirror in the position that Mr Bramwell indicated.

Cameron Doomadgee was found dead in the local watch-house after being arrested by Senior Sgt Hurley.

The original inquest into his death ruled the policeman caused the fatal injuries and he was tried and acquitted on charges of manslaughter and assault.

A review in the District Court ruled the original inquest findings should be set aside and the inquest reopened.

The Kimberley Land Council (KLC) says a $500,000 Commonwealth grant will enable Aboriginal people to make the most of job opportunities associated with the Kimberley gas hub.

The money has been allocated to the KLC’s job readiness program from the Commonwealth’s Innovation Fund.

The program aims to overcome the hurdles facing Aboriginal people when applying for jobs, such as poor literacy and numeracy.

The KLC’s Wayne Barker says it is an ambitious task and one that governments have failed to do over many decades.

“It’s not about ticking boxes or anything, it’s about trying to get some real movement on Indigenous employment,” Mr Barker said

“We understand that there are hundreds of jobs out there and there are more coming with the development of the LNG gas industry in the Kimberley and other types of industries.

“So we want to be prepared to take up those opportunities and actually get some employment outcomes.”

The organisation representing Alice Springs native title holders say the dynamic of street violence and law-breaking in Alice Springs is changing.

Darryl Pearce from Lhere Artepe says some of the problems are being caused by Aboriginal people from remote communities while they are in Alice Springs.

He says the Northern Territory Government is responding with extra police patrols, but the existing models are not changing people’s behaviour.

“We’re seeing people starting to engage in a process of basically saying ‘up yours’ and doing things which are starting to ramp up the engagement with police,” Mr Pearce said.

“So in reality what we’re seeing is a whole changed dynamic in terms of the relationship between people and it’s something which is of major concern to us.”

The State Government is coming under mounting pressure to make an immediate ex-gratia payment to the family of an Aboriginal man who died after a journey in the back of a prison van.

The Aboriginal elder, Mr Ward, died of heatstroke after travelling hundreds of kilometres in searing temperatures in the back of the van without proper air conditioning.

The journey, from Laverton to Kalgoorlie, took place in 2008.

A coronial inquest was highly critical of the Department of Corrective Services, the two prison van drivers and their employer, which was fined $100,000.

A spokesman for Deaths in Custody, Marc Newhouse, says Mr Ward’s family is destitute and relying on charity to survive.

“It’s outrageous that it’s now over, well over two years and still there’s been no compensation.”

The widow’s living in poverty. We’re considering a fundraiser to send them some money.”

The Premier, Colin Barnett, says a payment will be made once proper procedures have been followed.

The inquest into the death in custody of Cameron Doomadgee has reopened on Palm Island off Townsville in north Queensland.

Mr Doomadgee had a ruptured liver and broken ribs when he died in police custody on Palm Island in 2004.

Queensland police Senior Sergeant Chris Hurley stood trial on manslaughter and assault charges in 2007 and was found not guilty.

Today, the inquest into Mr Doomadgee’s death reopened after a District Court judge overturned the original coroner’s ruling and ordered the reopening.

The inquest will hear testimony from eight people, including Senior Sergeant Hurley later in the week.

The inquest will continue on Palm Island for the next three days before moving to Townsville.