0:00:34 > 0:00:40Doctor Mary Fortune is on her way to fulfil a commitment she made two
0:00:40 > 0:00:44years ago. Today is a day that I've looked forward to for a long time.
0:00:44 > 0:00:49This is where really it starts for me. Get my sleeves rolled up, get
0:00:49 > 0:00:54my hands dirty and begin to learn. I'm not usually an anxious person
0:00:55 > 0:00:58but I have to say, I'm very anxious about how things are going to go.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02So it's all very well saying, I'm a doctor, I'm Scottish. You know,
0:01:03 > 0:01:08here I am, I'm going to look after you and do all this and the next
0:01:08 > 0:01:11thing. But at the same token, I've got to be accepted, you know?
0:01:11 > 0:01:20experienced GP of 25 years, Mary and her family live in the small
0:01:20 > 0:01:24Highland town of Brora. For ten weeks, Mary Fortune is posted to
0:01:24 > 0:01:26some of the strangest and most remote parts of Western Australia.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29In 2008, Mary had her experiences recorded for a television series,
0:01:29 > 0:01:36Desperately Seeking Doctors, and was shocked by the third-world
0:01:36 > 0:01:41conditions in an Aboriginal community. A patient said to me
0:01:41 > 0:01:46yesterday, my expectation of life is 42 years-old. I mean, that is
0:01:46 > 0:01:53just appalling. It is not good enough. Something's got to be done
0:01:53 > 0:01:56about this. But before the family reunion, there's one final
0:01:56 > 0:02:00question... Yeah, I remember the question very well. Would I return
0:02:00 > 0:02:05to Australia to work as a doctor again? And there was no hesitation
0:02:05 > 0:02:09in my reply. I would come back to Australia, but I would want to work
0:02:09 > 0:02:12in an Aboriginal area. That's where the greatest medical needs are in
0:02:12 > 0:02:16Australia, and my burning ambition for the last two years is to go
0:02:16 > 0:02:26back and work in one of these communities, and you know, I've got
0:02:26 > 0:02:34
0:02:34 > 0:02:38Kununurra - one of the most remote inhabited towns in Australia. On
0:02:38 > 0:02:41the edge of the town is the OVAHS Aboriginal clinic, serving an area
0:02:41 > 0:02:50around twice the size of Scotland, and Mary's workplace for the next
0:02:50 > 0:02:56three months. Doctor Mary, this is our reception area. That's Cathy.
0:02:56 > 0:03:02Cathy, say hello to our new doctor. Hi, Cathy. As you can see, there's
0:03:02 > 0:03:05lots of patients waiting for us. Busy. Yeah, busy clinic. Yeah, yeah.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07Since opening in 1983 to cater for the specific needs of Aboriginal
0:03:07 > 0:03:10healthcare, the Ord Valley Aboriginal Health Service Clinic,
0:03:10 > 0:03:17or OVAHS, has grown from one part- time doctor to over 60 full and
0:03:17 > 0:03:22part-time staff from all over the world. Have you met Doctor Mary?
0:03:22 > 0:03:26Nice to meet you at last. Hi, how do you do? CEO Graeme Cooper is
0:03:26 > 0:03:31from Glasgow. He's been working in Aboriginal healthcare for the last
0:03:31 > 0:03:37ten years. In the past six months, OVAHS have lost two doctors,
0:03:37 > 0:03:41through no fault of OVAHS, and we're desperately seeking a doctor.
0:03:41 > 0:03:48Yeah. And having you turn up here to share the workload of our
0:03:48 > 0:03:55current doctors, who see up to 130 people a day, is vital. We do have
0:03:55 > 0:03:58a priority system of our elders... Yeah. And mothers with babies.
0:03:58 > 0:04:03Everyone else, in between, you've got to wait. Sometimes people wait
0:04:03 > 0:04:08over four hours to see a doctor. Four hours, yeah. But that's just
0:04:08 > 0:04:13how it is. So a ten-minute appointment doesn't work. Very few
0:04:13 > 0:04:19and far between. Nothing is ever just straight forward. There's
0:04:19 > 0:04:24always a bit of an edge somewhere else. With a huge backlog of
0:04:24 > 0:04:32patients, Mary hits the ground running. We're in room two, which
0:04:32 > 0:04:36is just along there. You OK, darling? That's it, coming off.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40have two-and-a-half full-time doctors and one locum. What we need
0:04:40 > 0:04:44is a minimum of five permanent doctors. However, in order to see
0:04:44 > 0:04:48every single person, we need seven doctors, simple as that. So you've
0:04:48 > 0:04:51got a huge shortfall. Oh, it's massive, it's massive. We need
0:04:51 > 0:04:55seven doctors, we need 13 nurses, 13 Aboriginal health workers, we
0:04:55 > 0:05:01need seven drivers and we need five people working at the front desk.
0:05:01 > 0:05:06We don't have that. It's not just the volume of patients. Mary is
0:05:06 > 0:05:11about to come face-to-face with some local idiosyncrasies. I've got
0:05:11 > 0:05:17bitten by a hairy caterpillar. It's really itchy. You've been bitten by
0:05:17 > 0:05:23a hairy caterpillar? Yes. I was born like that. You were born like
0:05:23 > 0:05:28that? Yeah. With a hernia? I'm just going to get a pair of pliers, see
0:05:28 > 0:05:32what we can do. The main thing is feeling not in total control of
0:05:32 > 0:05:38your job. I mean, it's one thing doing the medical side, examining
0:05:38 > 0:05:41patients... Didn't feel a thing. But it's all the other sort of
0:05:41 > 0:05:45little added frustrations that take time. It's so difficult to read
0:05:46 > 0:05:49this nurse's writing. And it will come. I will learn how to do it. Do
0:05:49 > 0:05:56you know how old you are? How old are you? I don't know. You don't
0:05:56 > 0:05:59know. A lot of the patients, they don't even know what age they are.
0:05:59 > 0:06:04You know, they don't know what drugs they're on. Does Selbutamel
0:06:04 > 0:06:08ring a bell with you? That's fine. Good. It's still ticking away and
0:06:08 > 0:06:12that's the important thing. I'm very anxious about not missing
0:06:12 > 0:06:16something in a patient. That will come, but there's a definite sort
0:06:16 > 0:06:20of "I'm not too sure about you, Doctor. You're a new face on the
0:06:20 > 0:06:25block". Gaining trust is one thing and you can't do that after a quick
0:06:25 > 0:06:35consultation. There's no such thing as a quick consultation in this
0:06:35 > 0:06:37
0:06:37 > 0:06:40building. Take a deep breath in for me. You've got noises in your chest.
0:06:40 > 0:06:45You know, you've got noises of air constriction where it gets really
0:06:45 > 0:06:47tight. Am I throwing this in the bin? This patient has been given an
0:06:47 > 0:06:51emergency consultation after arriving at the clinic in a
0:06:51 > 0:06:56breathless state. If you feel a wee bit sort of claustrophobic, you
0:06:56 > 0:07:00know, you can loosen it, take it off. But just breathe it nice and
0:07:00 > 0:07:06gently. Margaret Moore has a complex medical history and Mary
0:07:06 > 0:07:09needs help to make sense of her notes. Yeah, while she's on
0:07:09 > 0:07:18rheumatic heart disease she needs to see a physician and have an echo
0:07:18 > 0:07:26done every year. Right, and that was in August last year. How urgent
0:07:26 > 0:07:31is urgent when you've got rheumatic heart disease? There we go. We'll
0:07:31 > 0:07:34leave you for a few minutes. You probably heard us rabbiting on here.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37It's fortunate, well not fortunate for you that you've got a wheezy
0:07:37 > 0:07:41chest, but it's good that you've come in because there's quite a lot
0:07:41 > 0:07:46of things that we need to discuss. Margaret's underlying condition is
0:07:46 > 0:07:48a whole new experience for Mary. a doctor, I have never seen
0:07:48 > 0:07:58rheumatic heart disease hands-on because in Scotland people got
0:07:58 > 0:07:58
0:07:58 > 0:08:01rheumatic heart disease before the invention of penicillin. It's
0:08:01 > 0:08:06caused by poor sanitation, poor diet, lack of access to doctors, to
0:08:06 > 0:08:09medical services. Recurrent infections, either it be a sore
0:08:09 > 0:08:16throat or sores or whatever, these bugs come into the body, they go
0:08:16 > 0:08:25down get into the heart, bang. Time bomb, you know. And really, you do
0:08:25 > 0:08:31wonder how that can happen in a country like this. But to the
0:08:31 > 0:08:34specialist nurse, Stacy Robinson, this is nothing new. And it's got a
0:08:34 > 0:08:37lot to do with overcrowding in houses, running of fresh water.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41Just general cleanliness and the lack of all of that attributes to
0:08:41 > 0:08:49these infections. In Australia we shouldn't have this. It's
0:08:49 > 0:08:52disgraceful. It's absolutely astounding, really. I came from
0:08:52 > 0:08:55Perth, studied in Perth, knew nothing about rheumatic heart
0:08:55 > 0:09:00disease. Now I run the programme on rheumatic heart disease. What do
0:09:00 > 0:09:07you think about what we're saying here? Cos I'm shocked, and...
0:09:07 > 0:09:16know. It's sad, but it's quite true what you guys are saying. Rheumatic
0:09:16 > 0:09:18heart disease affects around one in 30. Right, do not go away. Patients
0:09:18 > 0:09:21like Margaret are eight times more likely than non-indigenous
0:09:21 > 0:09:31Australians to be hospitalised by it and 23 more likely to die from
0:09:31 > 0:09:32
0:09:32 > 0:09:39it. It's tragic, really tragic. It's absolutely disgraceful. I mean,
0:09:39 > 0:09:43there's a young woman, she's only 49. My God, you know. It's sad when
0:09:43 > 0:09:46I have kids less than nine years- old come in and they've got all
0:09:46 > 0:09:49sore joints, can't move, can't walk, can't run. We have to go to the
0:09:49 > 0:09:53community, we have to go to members, like elder members of the community,
0:09:53 > 0:09:57educate them about the problem with rheumatic heart disease. We then
0:09:57 > 0:10:00have to go to the shire and say, we are basically killing the community
0:10:00 > 0:10:06if we continue to let them live in overcrowded houses without running
0:10:06 > 0:10:11water. We just... But then it has to be a government thing, doesn't
0:10:11 > 0:10:15it? Exactly. It has to go back to grass roots and say, look, you've
0:10:15 > 0:10:18got a bloody time bomb on your hands up here. We shouldn't have to
0:10:18 > 0:10:20be dealing with third-world illnesses that are eradicated in
0:10:20 > 0:10:30other countries. And that's before tackle the problem of possible TB
0:10:30 > 0:10:31
0:10:31 > 0:10:36and leprosy. Isn't that true? Sorry, we had to have a wee bit of
0:10:36 > 0:10:39a, er, whatsit. Now... consultation has lasted over an
0:10:39 > 0:10:45hour but Margaret has another reason for attending a clinic, a
0:10:45 > 0:10:50situation impacting directly on her condition. She desperately needs to
0:10:50 > 0:10:53be re-housed. I live, like we say, in a house full of family members
0:10:53 > 0:10:56and it's my daughter's family I share with, and she's already got
0:10:56 > 0:10:59her family, other family and like you were talking about overcrowding
0:10:59 > 0:11:07and stuff, I need to get a simple letter from the doctors about my
0:11:07 > 0:11:13condition so that it can help me to get my own housing. It will not be
0:11:13 > 0:11:19a simple letter. It will be a very direct letter. I will find out
0:11:19 > 0:11:25exactly the name of the person at the Housing Department at Kununurra.
0:11:25 > 0:11:31Yes. Would you like us to come and visit your house, so I could see it
0:11:31 > 0:11:34firsthand? Oh, it's not dirty or anything... No, just to say, look,
0:11:34 > 0:11:44I've been at Margaret's house, I've seen what it's like and you need
0:11:44 > 0:11:49
0:11:49 > 0:11:54urgently to be re-housed. Let's get back in touch. Yep. OK. OK, no
0:11:54 > 0:11:57worries. Right. That was some consultation. It's increasingly
0:11:57 > 0:12:00apparent that there are much more problems here than I would ever
0:12:00 > 0:12:10anticipate, and maybe touch on that later, you know, cos it is
0:12:10 > 0:12:15
0:12:15 > 0:12:19distressing. Right, madam. Just... Yeah, OK, I'll be there in a sec.
0:12:19 > 0:12:27would say that it's getting better. However, the healthcare needs of
0:12:27 > 0:12:32Aboriginal people are massive. estimated Aboriginal life
0:12:32 > 0:12:35expectancy is up to 20 years less than non-indigenous Australians.
0:12:35 > 0:12:45Almost half of Aboriginal men and over a third of Aboriginal women
0:12:45 > 0:12:46
0:12:46 > 0:12:48Five years ago, the government embarked on a healthplan campaign,
0:12:48 > 0:12:54Close The Gap, an attempt to improve the life expectancy of
0:12:54 > 0:12:57Aboriginals. The actual Close The Gap, those three words actually
0:12:57 > 0:13:05came from Oxfam and the Aboriginal Community controlled health
0:13:05 > 0:13:08services themselves. We are not at a stage yet where we have
0:13:08 > 0:13:11identified what that gap is, and we can't until we have the appropriate
0:13:11 > 0:13:21environment where the appropriate number of employees will enable us
0:13:21 > 0:13:22
0:13:22 > 0:13:24to effectively assess our clients' needs. But five years later, little
0:13:24 > 0:13:34has changed and Aboriginal healthcare is still lagging way
0:13:34 > 0:13:44
0:13:44 > 0:13:47behind the government's own targets. A small town, Kununurra is
0:13:47 > 0:13:50identified in the vast wilderness by its spectacular landmark, a
0:13:50 > 0:14:00sacred hill called Mirima by the Aboriginals, but renamed by the
0:14:00 > 0:14:08
0:14:08 > 0:14:13In recent years, the population has boomed, as the town gradually
0:14:13 > 0:14:19developed into the administrative and business centre of the region.
0:14:19 > 0:14:25Very different to when Mary first visited here. I was just thinking,
0:14:25 > 0:14:28I'd heard how much this place has changed. Alistair and I, when we
0:14:28 > 0:14:32did a tour of Australia 20 odd years ago, it seems a long time ago
0:14:32 > 0:14:35now, but it seems like yesterday in fact, and it makes you think what
0:14:35 > 0:14:45has actually been the reason for this bush town to expand, and it's
0:14:45 > 0:14:50
0:14:50 > 0:14:54This, then, is the site and the potential of the Ord River project,
0:14:54 > 0:14:58and of Kununurra, the town it has produced. The modern town of
0:14:58 > 0:15:04Kununurra is only 50 years-old and is a product of a massive 1960's
0:15:04 > 0:15:07engineering project, the Ord Irrigation Scheme. By the end of
0:15:07 > 0:15:131964, the West Australia government expects to have more than 20 farms
0:15:13 > 0:15:15in operation, each of nearly 700 acres. The River Ord was dammed and
0:15:15 > 0:15:22irrigated, turning the vast landscape from dust to profitable
0:15:22 > 0:15:32arable soil. But in the process, many sacred Aboriginal burial sites
0:15:32 > 0:15:37
0:15:37 > 0:15:41and revered landmarks were flooded The success of the irrigation
0:15:41 > 0:15:44scheme proved phenomenal for intensive farming and agriculture.
0:15:44 > 0:15:51There soon followed an explosion of growth in the mining industries,
0:15:51 > 0:15:54including the world's biggest producing diamond mine, the Argyle.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57During the '90s, after decades of legal battles, some land rights
0:15:57 > 0:15:59were won back by the indigenous people, paving the way for
0:15:59 > 0:16:09Aboriginal elders like Peggy Patrick to negotiate with the
0:16:09 > 0:16:13
0:16:13 > 0:16:20mining companies for social and Peggy, I'm Doctor Mary. In you come.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24Sorry you had to wait for a wee bit there, but you're OK with that.
0:16:24 > 0:16:32have to speak up a bit louder because she's bunged up in the ear.
0:16:32 > 0:16:38Oh, all right. Are you deaf? Yeah. Can you understand me? Peggy,
0:16:38 > 0:16:43you're deaf and I can't understand, so we're doing well! Peggy Patrick
0:16:43 > 0:16:48has an established reputation as an artist and writer. I've read all
0:16:48 > 0:16:54about you and it's just clicked who you are. I'd read about you in Fire
0:16:54 > 0:17:04Fire Burning Bright. That's you? Yeah, that's mine. Fantastic!
0:17:04 > 0:17:05
0:17:05 > 0:17:13I've done two corroborees... said in that book that you have
0:17:13 > 0:17:16been a cook, a nurse, a midwife, a mechanic, a stock, a jillaroo...
0:17:16 > 0:17:18Peggy's work has taken her around the world, and her tireless efforts
0:17:18 > 0:17:25for conciliation between black and white resulted in a meeting with
0:17:25 > 0:17:33Nelson Mandela. But recently, she has had some minor medical problems.
0:17:33 > 0:17:43Peggy, what can I do for you today? What medicine do you need? Medicine
0:17:43 > 0:17:45today? Do you need... Check-up. You come for check-up, Unna? Peggy has
0:17:45 > 0:17:50brought with her OVAHS community nurse and adopted family member
0:17:50 > 0:17:56Gian Carlo, to help with today's appointment. Cos you came last week
0:17:56 > 0:18:00and you had blood taken. Yes, I gave blood last week, and they gave
0:18:00 > 0:18:07me tablets but they wanted to change the tablets. Right, give me
0:18:07 > 0:18:10one second. The medical records reveal Peggy and her husband have
0:18:10 > 0:18:16been nomadic in their search for healthcare and in their search for
0:18:16 > 0:18:21a place to live. Because she was homeless, and then, you know, you
0:18:21 > 0:18:31had no house. Peggy has had a rolling battle with the local
0:18:31 > 0:18:51
0:18:51 > 0:19:01housing department for the last two years. I understand that. And Peggy,
0:19:01 > 0:19:11
0:19:11 > 0:19:14your husband is very unwell. want to know how Muchie is. So he's
0:19:14 > 0:19:18fluctuating because of his condition? Yeah. And he's in
0:19:18 > 0:19:27Kununurra Hospital now? And in the meantime, where's... At the
0:19:27 > 0:19:37hospital with her husband. God's truth. Darling, are you
0:19:37 > 0:19:40
0:19:40 > 0:19:45prepared for your husband's... Yeah, yeah. He'll come back again.
0:19:45 > 0:19:50He'll come back again to you. In spirit. Yeah, come back, go away
0:19:50 > 0:19:54again. Well, sometimes you've got to be real strong yourself. I can
0:19:54 > 0:19:57see that you are a strong woman, yeah? And the first homeless
0:19:57 > 0:20:04Australian to win the Order of Australia. Say that... Say that
0:20:04 > 0:20:08again? So you've been given that award. Like giving you a knighthood,
0:20:08 > 0:20:14or saying "sir" or "dame", or whatever. But you got that award
0:20:14 > 0:20:19recognised by government for being... But you got that award,
0:20:19 > 0:20:21but you still got no house. Peggy has been awarded one of Australia's
0:20:21 > 0:20:31most prestigious honours, the Order of Australia, for preservation of
0:20:31 > 0:20:46
0:20:46 > 0:20:50I'm real... You know... I do it for the people like make people
0:20:50 > 0:20:53understand what it means to them. But in your heart, you've been
0:20:53 > 0:21:00working hard for black people and white people to be friends and walk
0:21:00 > 0:21:05that country together. Oh, I can't believe. I can't believe. I can't
0:21:05 > 0:21:14believe this like I get it. I couldn't believe. You deserve it,
0:21:14 > 0:21:17Aunty. Yeah. You're right, Aunty. Maybe what we should do is write to
0:21:17 > 0:21:26the government to say, thanks for my Order of Australia award, but I
0:21:26 > 0:21:31actually need a wall to hang it on, hmm? But it didn't get to me.
0:21:31 > 0:21:38Unbelievable, unbelievable. And when people get to... How old are
0:21:38 > 0:21:43you? How old are you now? What age are you? How old you? I dunno!
0:21:43 > 0:21:46don't know? I would say you're probably in your 70s. The point
0:21:46 > 0:21:49that I'm trying to make for you, my darling, is that people in their
0:21:49 > 0:21:5270s should be thinking about having a quiet time, a house together, and
0:21:52 > 0:22:02you find yourself with no house, husband in hospital, serious
0:22:02 > 0:22:15
0:22:15 > 0:22:21illness, and I find it shocking. You want to talk about woman
0:22:21 > 0:22:23business? Do you... Women's business? Mary and Peggy have
0:22:23 > 0:22:29quickly established an understanding and friendship, and
0:22:29 > 0:22:38Peggy invites Mary to a traditional Aboriginal ceremony. You can come
0:22:38 > 0:22:48there. I would like to come and see. Yeah. And get painted and...
0:22:48 > 0:22:59
0:22:59 > 0:23:02come over to my office and you have The vast Kimberly region is
0:23:02 > 0:23:12peppered with small isolated communities, and twice a week OVAHS
0:23:12 > 0:23:48
0:23:48 > 0:23:51send out a small medical team to Will I just set things up here?
0:23:51 > 0:23:59small Glen Hill community is a five-hour drive, 150 kilometres
0:23:59 > 0:24:04south of Kununurra. Well, it's called the bush telegraph,
0:24:04 > 0:24:09basically. It's just a small community of maybe 60, 70 people,
0:24:09 > 0:24:14so word gets around that we're here. So we'll just see what happens and
0:24:14 > 0:24:20who pitches up on time. Bearing in mind there's no appointments.
0:24:20 > 0:24:30People don't wear watches here. through, go through, quick.
0:24:30 > 0:24:31
0:24:31 > 0:24:34these are... These are all the kids that have got sores? One of the
0:24:34 > 0:24:37primary functions of the mobile clinic is child health. Treating
0:24:37 > 0:24:42even the smallest wounds and insect bites prevents the onset of many
0:24:42 > 0:24:48diseases. Impetigo, scabies, ringworm and mange, left untreated,
0:24:48 > 0:24:55can lead to more serious illnesses later in life. There's cream to
0:24:55 > 0:24:59help the ringworm on your face. Well, you need to have bigger hands
0:24:59 > 0:25:06if you're going to be a doctor. So who's next? You can all be the
0:25:06 > 0:25:13doctor. Today it's a race against the clock through rugged terrain in
0:25:13 > 0:25:17searing temperatures of over 40 degrees. You're expecting a few
0:25:17 > 0:25:20more people than last time? Yeah, we're probably going to have... Get
0:25:20 > 0:25:24some more stockmen in here and probably give them their jab, their
0:25:24 > 0:25:29flu vaccine if they want it. But other than that, they're probably
0:25:29 > 0:25:31running away from us. The check gives health workers a chance to
0:25:31 > 0:25:36collect valuable information on the scattered population and any
0:25:36 > 0:25:41serious conditions can be followed up. Right, can you do some big
0:25:41 > 0:25:45breaths for me. Big puffs. Six- year-old Steven Craig has a slight
0:25:45 > 0:25:47fever and loss of appetite. But he also has a more serious condition,
0:25:47 > 0:25:56a heart murmur which requires regular monitoring at the OVAHS
0:25:56 > 0:26:00clinic. Is she eating and drinking OK? Yeah. Basic checks are crucial
0:26:00 > 0:26:03in these remote areas. Aboriginal children under four are 30 times
0:26:03 > 0:26:05more likely to suffer from malnutrition and are three times
0:26:05 > 0:26:15more likely to die before they reach their fifth birthday than
0:26:15 > 0:26:21
0:26:21 > 0:26:23A week following the field trip, and OVAHS are holding one of their
0:26:23 > 0:26:32days of specialist surgeries, bringing patients from many of the
0:26:32 > 0:26:39outlying communities including some familiar faces. Hi, there, hello.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43Hello. You here to see the cardiologist today? Yeah? This is
0:26:43 > 0:26:48the wee fella that had the wee heart murmur isn't it, yeah? Yeah,
0:26:48 > 0:26:52so this is his appointment today? Yes, yes. Right, and you're the dad.
0:26:52 > 0:26:57I'm the grandfather. Oh, you're the grandfather. You don't look old
0:26:57 > 0:27:01enough to be a grandfather. Hi, wee fellow. Is that right? Cos we saw
0:27:01 > 0:27:04all your kids that day, didn't we? They all had colds. Steven is
0:27:04 > 0:27:08mixed-race and his family may have a history of heart disease, which
0:27:08 > 0:27:11makes it more important to monitor his condition. Heart specialist
0:27:11 > 0:27:20Doctor Jim Ramsay travels from Perth six times a year to hold his
0:27:20 > 0:27:22surgery. We'll have a little listen, Mary is concerned about her patient
0:27:22 > 0:27:28with rheumatic heart disease, and Doctor Ramsay's bi-monthly surgery
0:27:28 > 0:27:31gives her the opportunity to pick his brains. I'm really quite out of
0:27:31 > 0:27:36my depth because it's not something that you really see in Scotland and
0:27:36 > 0:27:39Ireland. Yeah, that's true. Like, I'm originally from England and I
0:27:39 > 0:27:43had never seen rheumatic fever or rheumatic heart disease when I did
0:27:43 > 0:27:45my training in the UK, but within the first few months of arriving in
0:27:45 > 0:27:53Perth, I saw a three-year-old child with severe heart involvement with
0:27:53 > 0:28:03rheumatic fever. And that was, I say, in the late 70s, and now we're
0:28:03 > 0:28:07
0:28:07 > 0:28:1030 years on and things have not changed that much. How's that?
0:28:10 > 0:28:13look there. There's your heart. Aboriginal children have just about
0:28:13 > 0:28:16the highest incidence of rheumatic fever in the world. Although we've
0:28:16 > 0:28:18got smaller numbers, we actually see more rheumatic fever in the
0:28:18 > 0:28:27Kimberly than probably Africa, India, continents where rheumatic
0:28:27 > 0:28:32fever is very common. But we still see a higher incidence here. That's
0:28:32 > 0:28:37what shocks me with what you've said, you know? 30 years, I mean,
0:28:37 > 0:28:42you've been around a long time. Yeah. And nothing has changed?
0:28:42 > 0:28:48yep. A lot of Aboriginal adults die in their 20s and 30s with bad
0:28:48 > 0:28:51rheumatic heart disease. Shocking, isn't it? But predominantly it's
0:28:51 > 0:28:55living situations, so if you can improve the whole social situation,
0:28:55 > 0:29:05if you can end up with two or three or four people in a house, the
0:29:05 > 0:29:07
0:29:07 > 0:29:10chance of getting rheumatic fever's The letter to help with Margaret
0:29:10 > 0:29:15Moore's housing application is Mary's next task. The home-visit is
0:29:15 > 0:29:21a ten-minute journey, taking her through the centre of town. It's
0:29:21 > 0:29:25taken me some time to suss it out but this place has two populations.
0:29:25 > 0:29:29They have a white population and a black population. They're living in
0:29:29 > 0:29:34parallel and very little crossover. You know, one population ignores
0:29:34 > 0:29:36the other, and that's what I mean. White people ignore black people
0:29:36 > 0:29:44and black people ignore white people, with very little
0:29:44 > 0:29:47interaction. It is sad and I know that people are going to sort of
0:29:47 > 0:29:54say, what the hell does she know, but I do think there is
0:29:54 > 0:29:59discrimination in this town. I do think there's a lot of injustices.
0:29:59 > 0:30:04You just need to look at the housing. I was told that 98% of the
0:30:04 > 0:30:14people on the housing list here are Aboriginal. Now I wonder who the
0:30:14 > 0:30:19
0:30:19 > 0:30:24other 2% are. Cos you don't see any Found you, at last. Yeah. So, how
0:30:24 > 0:30:31are you? Margaret Moore has been staying at her daughter's house,
0:30:31 > 0:30:35helping out with the grandchildren for ten years. Good morning. One,
0:30:35 > 0:30:38two, three, four. Aboriginal families like Margaret's have a
0:30:38 > 0:30:43highly complex structure, which can hugely increase the number of close
0:30:43 > 0:30:47relatives. This is the sitting room? Yeah. But it's a bedroom.
0:30:47 > 0:30:52Yeah. Family members come and go, with many staying for indefinite
0:30:52 > 0:30:59periods. Three mattresses. So who sleeps here? That's just a couple
0:30:59 > 0:31:05of the kids. Margaret shares with 12 other adults and children, but
0:31:05 > 0:31:09sometimes many more. So there's six adult couples... Here now. Here now,
0:31:09 > 0:31:14and five children. But at times, when family come the house is
0:31:14 > 0:31:19heaving, it seems, as it is. Last night I had about ten kids I
0:31:19 > 0:31:23counted last night. Ten kids in here? Ten kids. Now this fridge in
0:31:23 > 0:31:26here has to keep food cool... Aboriginal housing standards have
0:31:26 > 0:31:33been identified as one of the key areas that impact directly on
0:31:33 > 0:31:38health, particularly for children. This is where you do your washing?
0:31:38 > 0:31:43Yeah, but because I don't have a machine. I have to go over to my
0:31:43 > 0:31:45brother's. Do they have to do... Yeah, by hand. A seven-year-long
0:31:45 > 0:31:48government investigation as part of the Close The Gap campaign,
0:31:48 > 0:31:54revealed that only a third of Aboriginal housing has basic
0:31:54 > 0:31:56washing facilities. Only 11% has basic electrical safety and less
0:31:56 > 0:32:05than 10% has basic kitchen facilities, with no provision to
0:32:05 > 0:32:09store, prepare and cook a meal in. So this has been like this for a
0:32:09 > 0:32:13long time? For a long time we've been telling them but they never do
0:32:13 > 0:32:19anything about it. I try not to stress myself, because that's the
0:32:19 > 0:32:22last thing I want is to get myself stressed. It would make anyone
0:32:22 > 0:32:26stressed, from living in this situation. But a strong letter from
0:32:26 > 0:32:30a doctor goes a long way. Because of my condition, they wouldn't
0:32:30 > 0:32:35believe me, unless it comes from a doctor's point of view. Why won't
0:32:35 > 0:32:38they believe you? Because that's the way it is. We've got whatever
0:32:38 > 0:32:48we've got, you know? They're not going to believe us. They don't
0:32:48 > 0:33:03
0:33:03 > 0:33:09Back in the clinic, Mary has had an emergency call. Where's the
0:33:09 > 0:33:19emergency? They're for me? They're for you. There's a little card in
0:33:19 > 0:33:35
0:33:36 > 0:33:40there. You're joking. Are they from Well, today is... I'll just read
0:33:40 > 0:33:45this little note actually, when Bay's here. It says, "By proxy,
0:33:45 > 0:33:53love for 25 years and looking forward to the next 25. Best love,
0:33:53 > 0:33:59Alistair". Oh, isn't that lovely? Silver wedding anniversary. Isn't
0:33:59 > 0:34:04that nice? All the way from... tell you, they travelled well from
0:34:04 > 0:34:14Brora. I don't know how many miles that would be. He's the most
0:34:14 > 0:34:14
0:34:14 > 0:34:23wonderful man and he's been good It's three weeks since Mary last
0:34:23 > 0:34:28saw her family but they keep in touch every day. Hi, there. Hello.
0:34:28 > 0:34:34Happy anniversary. Yeah, happy anniversary to you, too. 25 years!
0:34:34 > 0:34:38I know, I know. I tell you, they're much nicer than the flowers that
0:34:38 > 0:34:43you used to buy as a cheapskate from Rankin's on Friday night!
0:34:43 > 0:34:49they're lovely. They're lovely, yeah. It's a bit strange, not being
0:34:49 > 0:34:56together, you know. Very strange. Well, you'll have a great time.
0:34:56 > 0:35:01know. Cheers. When you've worked hard all day you're just desperate
0:35:01 > 0:35:08to get home and, you know, see a couple of friendly faces. Can you
0:35:08 > 0:35:12speak to me? Just to say, what was your day like? How'd you get on?
0:35:12 > 0:35:17And you do feel socially isolated. And you think, what am I going to
0:35:17 > 0:35:21do, you know? Sometimes it's like, you know, oh, to hell, I'll just
0:35:21 > 0:35:25sit and read a book out the back and put some Scotch music on, tap
0:35:25 > 0:35:31my feet to Andy Stewart. How sad is that, you know? I mean, it's just
0:35:31 > 0:35:41so sad. OK, darling, I love you. Lots of love. I miss you, and hey,
0:35:41 > 0:35:49
0:35:49 > 0:35:54listen, cheers. Cheers. Bye. How are you today? Good? Well, if
0:35:54 > 0:36:00you're good why are you at the doctor's? The thing to do is to
0:36:00 > 0:36:04stick with it for at least six months to see how it's going to go.
0:36:04 > 0:36:12Yeah. Do you want to take my blood pressure, cos it's going up every
0:36:12 > 0:36:16minute I'm talking to you? Did you fall or were you pushed? Ah, well I
0:36:16 > 0:36:21fall because I have no control of my hips and I fall in the barbecue.
0:36:22 > 0:36:28Spare ribs. Yeah, spare ribs, I reckon! Barbecue spare ribs for you,
0:36:28 > 0:36:33mate! So the message to people... Don't smoke. Don't smoke. Can I ask
0:36:33 > 0:36:43you a very personal question? You ever set your beard on fire?
0:36:43 > 0:36:44
0:36:44 > 0:36:46Gian Carlo has been with Peggy Patrick and her husband for the
0:36:46 > 0:36:56last three days, and has come straight from the hospital with
0:36:56 > 0:36:57
0:36:57 > 0:37:06some sad news. Peggy's husband died about two days... Two hours ago.
0:37:06 > 0:37:10Yeah, at the hospital. So... How is she? She's very distraught. She's
0:37:10 > 0:37:14got a lot of family around her but you know, sort of very, very upset,
0:37:14 > 0:37:18when your life-long partner passes away. Well, it was 50 odd years
0:37:18 > 0:37:24they've been together, wasn't it? Yeah, a long time. Oh, she'd be
0:37:24 > 0:37:31absolutely gutted. Yeah. The next thing is, she has been staying and
0:37:31 > 0:37:37boarding in the hospital, and from today she's homeless. Precisely.
0:37:37 > 0:37:42And what is the next step? Oh, well, we've organised with family for her
0:37:42 > 0:37:47to stay with family the next couple of nights at Sedalla's house. I
0:37:47 > 0:37:53don't know what's going to happen next. She'll probably... She'll be
0:37:53 > 0:37:59in a state of grieving and go country, go bush. So it is sad.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02Yeah, it's very sad. And another library has passed, has gone. A
0:38:02 > 0:38:10library of Nunagarri knowledge and information, but also that sort of
0:38:10 > 0:38:15energy and spirit of that old man, who was loved by a huge... Huge
0:38:15 > 0:38:25number of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Just the cycle
0:38:25 > 0:38:35
0:38:35 > 0:38:45of life that, we work... In an area As the indigenous population dies
0:38:45 > 0:38:47
0:38:47 > 0:38:52Kununurra is booming, and stage two of the Ord Valley Project is well
0:38:52 > 0:38:55underway. The population is expected to double in the next
0:38:55 > 0:39:05three years. And to accommodate the workers and new residents,
0:39:05 > 0:39:09
0:39:09 > 0:39:16expensive housing is being built on In stark contrast, many Aboriginals
0:39:16 > 0:39:19live in so-called reserves on the edge of town. It's an area that few
0:39:19 > 0:39:25gadia, or white people, venture into, but Mary is determined to see
0:39:25 > 0:39:31for herself. Uncertain what to expect, she is accompanied by
0:39:31 > 0:39:35Aboriginal leader. I mean, this is quite a special thing, being able
0:39:35 > 0:39:38to come here, isn't it, with you? Because I know they don't really
0:39:38 > 0:39:44like people coming in and invading their property or their land or
0:39:44 > 0:39:48whatever. So this is quite a unique situation really, for me. Probably,
0:39:48 > 0:39:52too, but again I think a lot of them do want to tell their story as
0:39:52 > 0:39:55to how they are living in this area. Tell their story. Yeah, yeah.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58probably want that opportunity to talk. For the past six years,
0:39:58 > 0:40:00Lawford has been hands-on, working for one of several organisations
0:40:00 > 0:40:05responsible for the well-being and social development of the
0:40:05 > 0:40:10Aboriginal people in Kununurra. Good morning, this is Alan Long.
0:40:10 > 0:40:15Doctor Mary. Lawford has arranged a visit to meet resident Alan Long
0:40:15 > 0:40:21and his extended family from out of town. That's my family back there...
0:40:21 > 0:40:24They're having a fight amongst themselves. Right. I tried to stop
0:40:25 > 0:40:30them but I can't understand what they're talking about. Are they all
0:40:30 > 0:40:35fighting? Yeah. They're arguing with one another. One husband...
0:40:35 > 0:40:45It's come to this... He won't speak to them. That's too bad for me. I
0:40:45 > 0:41:03
0:41:03 > 0:41:06don't like it that way. No. There's Ah, get that dog away from me! I'm
0:41:06 > 0:41:10looking over here. This is an outdoor bedroom, obviously, and
0:41:10 > 0:41:17amongst all the rubbish. You know, there seems to be just chaos
0:41:17 > 0:41:23everywhere. I believe if she really wants to get a taste and a feel of
0:41:23 > 0:41:27a community, she had to go in neutral with her own feelings. And
0:41:27 > 0:41:33I believe by me not saying nothing, I'm not pre-empting her thoughts or
0:41:33 > 0:41:39feelings. So I wanted her to really get a first taste and smell of what
0:41:40 > 0:41:43a community's like or getting a sense of what this community's like.
0:41:43 > 0:41:47I feel if you start talking to people, you know, you get people
0:41:47 > 0:41:50already start thinking and feeling things. You let them go themselves,
0:41:50 > 0:41:54I really believe they're mature and educated themselves to pick up what
0:41:54 > 0:41:57they really pick up on. And then you cross-reference each other
0:41:57 > 0:42:03after you have that initial contact within the community. So you
0:42:03 > 0:42:09actually live here, don't you? Tell me, why do all your family
0:42:09 > 0:42:16come and stay here with you? Because they don't know some other
0:42:16 > 0:42:19people, you know? They come from all around over. Is it because they
0:42:19 > 0:42:24don't have any room to go to? and then another people much around
0:42:24 > 0:42:29here. Right, so these people come here because they're homeless,
0:42:29 > 0:42:33basically? Is that what you're saying? Yes, yes. So they don't
0:42:33 > 0:42:38have anywhere else to go, so they come here? And so when they're here,
0:42:38 > 0:42:42they stay for how long? They only just stay here for a couple of days
0:42:42 > 0:42:47and then go back when they're ready to go back. Yeah. How do you feel
0:42:47 > 0:42:51about that? It's OK. It's OK, cos they're family. It's your mob.
0:42:51 > 0:42:56it's our mob. Do you feel that things should be done better for
0:42:56 > 0:43:03you? Yes. Yeah, yeah. Have you tried to get things done here?
0:43:03 > 0:43:13And what happened? Got no help. help, just ignored? Yeah, yeah.
0:43:13 > 0:43:13
0:43:13 > 0:43:17my God. Get! You're an expert at that. Oh, right. Listen, thanks
0:43:17 > 0:43:27very much for letting us come to your home, and maybe I'll see you
0:43:27 > 0:43:40
0:43:40 > 0:43:44at the OVAHS sometime. Yeah, OK. I am so confused. I feel like I'm
0:43:44 > 0:43:50swimming against the tide the whole time. I can't take it all in that
0:43:50 > 0:43:56this entire area is completely... So suppressed. And utterly
0:43:56 > 0:44:00depressing. It's like a ghetto, really. It's like a rural slum.
0:44:00 > 0:44:07It's dysfunctional. There's social dysfunction here, it's chaotic, and
0:44:07 > 0:44:10it's just a breeding ground for disease. It is. Lawford is aware of
0:44:10 > 0:44:12the huge amount of government funds poured into Aboriginal
0:44:12 > 0:44:18organisations, leaving him to question the way resources have
0:44:18 > 0:44:21continually failed to hit their target. Well, I really strongly
0:44:21 > 0:44:24believe we, as a community, need to come together and start addressing
0:44:24 > 0:44:32our problems as a whole, because there's everything here that's all
0:44:32 > 0:44:36connecting. We need education for a start, housing, employment. Like I
0:44:36 > 0:44:38said, all these things we need to come together as a community, and
0:44:38 > 0:44:44bring in the people that have that mandate and responsibilities and
0:44:44 > 0:44:47the obligation to do something. Are they educating the people? That's
0:44:47 > 0:44:50why I've got to ask the question. Are they really coming here,
0:44:50 > 0:44:55talking to the people about their health and hygiene? That's a really
0:44:55 > 0:44:57good question. So we need to be asking that question. But like I
0:44:57 > 0:45:01said, I believe there's a lot of service providers are getting
0:45:01 > 0:45:04Aboriginal money for whatever, whether it's health... And they do
0:45:04 > 0:45:07nothing about it. Whatever it may be, but they're not being
0:45:07 > 0:45:11accountable to their measurements. So it looks good on paper. Looks
0:45:11 > 0:45:14good on paper, but if you look at reality it's nowhere near the paper.
0:45:14 > 0:45:17We've got lots of little offices, we've got lots of little individual
0:45:17 > 0:45:20bits of money, we've got lots of individual people looking as though
0:45:20 > 0:45:24they're doing the job, but in fact they're not bloody doing the job.
0:45:24 > 0:45:28They're not. And that's clearly apparent. I mean, you don't... It's
0:45:28 > 0:45:31not bloody rocket science, is it, when you come and see this place?
0:45:31 > 0:45:34So somebody needs their arse kicked to do something about this. Like I
0:45:34 > 0:45:36said, Kununurra needs to be exposed when dealing with Aboriginal
0:45:36 > 0:45:39affairs. There's things that... It's shocking. Have gone under the
0:45:39 > 0:45:43radar and not being detected. And if it is being detected, there's
0:45:43 > 0:45:46all this hand-balling of who's responsible. The more we talk about
0:45:46 > 0:45:51Aboriginal issues or affairs, I mean, gadias have got to live in
0:45:51 > 0:45:54this world, too. Yeah, white people. So how do we balance this in a way
0:45:54 > 0:46:00that people don't get, you know, prejudiced to blackfella growth or
0:46:00 > 0:46:05gadia growth? You know what I mean? Because we all live in this one
0:46:05 > 0:46:09world. We're only here for a short time, like the old saying, so how
0:46:09 > 0:46:13do we make the best of it? So there is hope? There is light at the end
0:46:13 > 0:46:16of the tunnel? Hope we always have to have, because if we start
0:46:16 > 0:46:19letting hope leave us, we're going to have no chance of surviving. I
0:46:19 > 0:46:23don't care what colour you are, whether you're black, white, pink
0:46:23 > 0:46:33or yellow. If you've got no hope in your system, you might as well hide
0:46:33 > 0:47:11
0:47:11 > 0:47:15One of the biggest sporting events of the year is the football match
0:47:15 > 0:47:20against the rival town of Wyndham. This is about the first football
0:47:20 > 0:47:30match I've ever been to. Aussie aerial ping pong, they call it.
0:47:30 > 0:47:34
0:47:34 > 0:47:40to honour Peggy's late husband, I think there's about 1,000 people
0:47:40 > 0:47:43here. It's a big, big thing for the Kimberly. It's fantastic, isn't it?
0:47:43 > 0:47:47Brings all of the kids, all the families, all the old people, and
0:47:47 > 0:47:54they just love it. And for once, I'd say 98% of people here are
0:47:54 > 0:47:57indigenous. Yeah. Well, this is the thing that... Oh, the whitefellas
0:47:57 > 0:48:03are in the bar over there. Oh, yes, they've got their own party zone,
0:48:03 > 0:48:07yes. Is that an enclosure to keep them away? I think... Well it could
0:48:07 > 0:48:11be interpreted that way. I thought this was meant to be a dry night?
0:48:11 > 0:48:14Well, if you're a member of the country club, of the club, you're
0:48:14 > 0:48:19allowed access to alcohol. I saw Peggy over there. She's over there
0:48:19 > 0:48:22with all her mob. Oh, right. her family. So all have come up
0:48:22 > 0:48:26from Waterman and... That them making all the noise over there?
0:48:26 > 0:48:36They're the noisiest bunch over there! The most passionate ones.
0:48:36 > 0:48:46
0:48:46 > 0:48:49Peggy's attendance at the football Is that your grandson? The football
0:48:49 > 0:48:59match is a big family occasion, with eight of Peggy's grandchildren
0:48:59 > 0:49:04
0:49:04 > 0:49:11You must be so proud of them. Very proud of your mob! You proud of
0:49:11 > 0:49:16your boys, supporting their grandfather? Is this your white
0:49:16 > 0:49:19gadia daughter? Yeah, my daughter. Steph Stoner is part of Peggy's
0:49:19 > 0:49:23extended family and as an expert in cultural relations, is helping
0:49:23 > 0:49:27Peggy with her housing problems. would make her feel no good that us
0:49:27 > 0:49:36mob as a society don't get it right for you to have your house, you
0:49:36 > 0:49:42know. I get bad, you know, and I think... I don't get why... I'll go
0:49:42 > 0:49:46and hang myself, kill myself. darling, you mustn't do that.
0:49:47 > 0:49:51that's the only way you can do it. The only thing you can do. No, no,
0:49:51 > 0:49:53no. You got more to live for. There's this wonderful woman who's
0:49:53 > 0:49:59probably the most widely known woman in the Kimberly, and
0:49:59 > 0:50:02respected elder, and she's talking about, you know, committing suicide.
0:50:02 > 0:50:05I'm sure that was probably just a possible off-the-cuff remark,
0:50:05 > 0:50:14because you know, she's feeling so down in herself and going through
0:50:14 > 0:50:20the initial stages of grief with her husband. All these people, like
0:50:20 > 0:50:22me, strong people, learn people how to talk... She's probably one of
0:50:22 > 0:50:25the most knowledgeable women in Australia, I was told, about
0:50:25 > 0:50:28Aboriginal culture and how she's tried to keep this fire burning
0:50:28 > 0:50:38about culture and pass it down to, say, to her grandchildren and
0:50:38 > 0:50:42things. "Look, be proud of yourself. This is your past. Keep your
0:50:42 > 0:50:47culture. But you have to move on, and you have to be educated and
0:50:47 > 0:50:53live a good life". And that's what she wants. It's going to take time.
0:50:53 > 0:51:03Yeah. Until we have people like you to lead your people, then...
0:51:03 > 0:51:15
0:51:15 > 0:51:25After days of frustration, trying to connect with the Kununurra
0:51:25 > 0:51:27
0:51:27 > 0:51:34Housing Department, Homeswest, Mary Good afternoon, Department of
0:51:34 > 0:51:41Housing. Hi, it's Doctor Fortune here. Meanwhile, Margaret is on her
0:51:41 > 0:51:51way to the clinic for her follow-up appointment. I wanted to speak to
0:51:51 > 0:51:52
0:51:52 > 0:51:59somebody about housing, just to see Yeah, I haven't had any word back
0:51:59 > 0:52:06from Homeswest about the housing. I've given them the forms and I've
0:52:06 > 0:52:13never heard back from them yet. There is no application... She's
0:52:14 > 0:52:22made no application? Right, that's not what I heard from her. Can I
0:52:22 > 0:52:25see Doctor Mary again? She was told that if she had a medical letter
0:52:25 > 0:52:35for medical grounds that her application would have a bit bigger
0:52:35 > 0:52:36
0:52:36 > 0:52:39clout. OK. So really not good news. OK, listen, thank you very much
0:52:39 > 0:52:47indeed for your help. You've been very informative. Thank you. Bye-
0:52:47 > 0:52:54bye. This woman said that they have not, categorically, did not receive
0:52:54 > 0:53:00an application for housing. So when did you put your formal application
0:53:00 > 0:53:04in? I put it in the very next day. So that was over two weeks ago. So
0:53:04 > 0:53:09they must... They've got it. I've given it to them. Gave them the
0:53:09 > 0:53:12application for housing. I've done all that. So this woman's telling
0:53:12 > 0:53:16me that they haven't received it. Mm, so why are they saying that,
0:53:16 > 0:53:23cos I did. Well, I think that's something that we have to pursue.
0:53:23 > 0:53:26Mmm. In regards to my experience, you can either hit your head, argue
0:53:26 > 0:53:30with them, kick your head against the wall, you'll get nowhere. What
0:53:31 > 0:53:34you need to do is go down today and put in another housing form. If you
0:53:34 > 0:53:38want to get into the queue quicker, that's what you've got to do. So
0:53:38 > 0:53:41you need to have someone, a housing advocate, to go in and work with
0:53:41 > 0:53:45you on this one. Margaret has mentioned that to me before, but
0:53:45 > 0:53:48that's really good advice, Gian, to reinforce that. Because we need to
0:53:48 > 0:53:52get to the bottom of this, because it's just wearing away at you a
0:53:52 > 0:53:56long time. And my daughter is getting very frustrated with me.
0:53:56 > 0:54:00She wants me out of there, too, see, so that she can get on with her
0:54:00 > 0:54:05life and be with her partner. I'm sort of in the way so I need to get
0:54:05 > 0:54:12out. You know, this is just another story of a very resource-rich state
0:54:12 > 0:54:15government, and then the lack of housing stock. I can't... Why these
0:54:15 > 0:54:25great grandmothers and grandmothers are basically homeless. They have
0:54:25 > 0:54:27
0:54:27 > 0:54:30to kip in with family. Right. that right, Margaret? Mmm. Homeless.
0:54:30 > 0:54:33You're actually homeless, aren't you? And I am one of the
0:54:33 > 0:54:36signatories that handed over the, you know, all the old country here
0:54:36 > 0:54:39to the state government, the Mirumgudgerum Corporation Committee.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42And here we are, you know, they've taken our land and doing all these
0:54:42 > 0:54:45new whatever farm that's everything, and we're the people that signed
0:54:45 > 0:54:52off, and where we are today, still stuck in the same place,
0:54:52 > 0:54:59overcrowding with our people. And yet the Housing tell us there's no
0:54:59 > 0:55:02housing for us. It makes you wonder. And all these people with jobs and
0:55:02 > 0:55:04everything out here, it's all to the Mirumgudgerum people signing
0:55:04 > 0:55:11off to the state government and giving the land away, more-or-less,
0:55:11 > 0:55:16for their development. And do you feel now that you wish you hadn't
0:55:16 > 0:55:19done that? Yeah, yeah, well in the sense, yeah, we shouldn't have,
0:55:19 > 0:55:23because we are still getting nowhere. Government still haven't
0:55:23 > 0:55:26fixed up our problems yet on the communities, and all we asked in
0:55:26 > 0:55:31life was the three things, that the basic needs of Aboriginal people,
0:55:31 > 0:55:37was water, power and housing. not? And no community's ever gotten
0:55:37 > 0:55:41that yet. Water, power and housing. You didn't tell me all of this.
0:55:41 > 0:55:46Well, now I'm telling you, Doctor Mary. Now you know. Yeah, I needed
0:55:46 > 0:55:54to know that. Mmm. I bet you're quite a formidable woman when you
0:55:54 > 0:56:04get going. Oh, yeah. Let's see Margaret Moore, eh? Anyway, I have
0:56:04 > 0:56:12
0:56:12 > 0:56:15here your Worxifaxer. When was the This journey has been a bit of a
0:56:15 > 0:56:21different journey this time round. Oh, it's a whole different ball
0:56:21 > 0:56:25game, really, this time. I mean, it's... Your head just goes round
0:56:25 > 0:56:29and round and round the whole time, thinking, why? Why has this
0:56:29 > 0:56:36situation got so bad? Why are people living in these conditions?
0:56:36 > 0:56:40And I just feel that particularly what's happening here is like... I
0:56:40 > 0:56:43can't come to terms with it, because don't know the answers.
0:56:43 > 0:56:49I've been told that the government throws money at Aboriginal people
0:56:49 > 0:56:53all the time and it's not the way forward. I don't know the answers.
0:56:53 > 0:57:03I'm here to learn and to try and formulate some sort of thing in my
0:57:03 > 0:57:22
0:57:22 > 0:57:25brain that explains, or tries to Next, on Doctor Fortune's
0:57:25 > 0:57:32Australian Casebook, Mary is out on the front line, witnessing the
0:57:32 > 0:57:41alcohol-fuelled destruction of the Aboriginal race. My people are
0:57:41 > 0:57:46dying quickly from alcohol and there's nothing to stop it. Mary
0:57:46 > 0:57:53goes to rehab... It looks like a workers' camp in the middle of the
0:57:53 > 0:57:57desert. But is it too late for the Aboriginal people? We won't be an