Australian Injustice: The Aboriginal Legal Service
Following the recent apprehension of a young Aboriginal boy over the theft of a single chocolate Freddo frog, must media debate has been sparked. An opinion piece written in The Age on the 18th of November, 2009, Australian Justice is Coloured, was written by Chris Cuneen in response to this incident. Cuneen contends that the Aboriginal Youths are currently suffering at the injustices of the Australian justice system. Appealing to those with a keen interest in the justice system and human rights, employs a prudent and credible tone to position readers align with his contention that Aboriginal youths are currently suffering at the injustices of the Australian justice system.
The piece seems to be framed around an illustration, this image contains a young, seemingly aboriginal boy, who is locked behind steel bars, similar to that of a prison. It depicts said boy looking out, what could only be assumed to be an opening in his ‘prison’, wistfully, looking towards the outside world, pondering on the injustices committed to him by the Australian justice system.
The writer opens his piece providing context on the issue, clearly outlining the debacle that has prompted such fierce debate within the media. The example he presents is one in which a ‘young Aboriginal boy’ is charged with the ‘criminal offence of receiving stolen property (a chocolate Freddo frog). He attempts to show the outrageousness of the police’s treatment of Aboriginal youths through showing the insignificance of the ‘stolen object’.
Cuneen moves on to look at the impact that said police officers have on the lives of these Aboriginal youths. Cuneen’s declaration that ‘their decisions will significantly impact on a young person’s future’ positions the reader to think that the police should take the futures of said young person’s into account before making the decision to potentially apprehend them. This is reinforced by his next statement that there is no real public benefit ‘from charging a
The piece seems to be framed around an illustration, this image contains a young, seemingly aboriginal boy, who is locked behind steel bars, similar to that of a prison. It depicts said boy looking out, what could only be assumed to be an opening in his ‘prison’, wistfully, looking towards the outside world, pondering on the injustices committed to him by the Australian justice system.
The writer opens his piece providing context on the issue, clearly outlining the debacle that has prompted such fierce debate within the media. The example he presents is one in which a ‘young Aboriginal boy’ is charged with the ‘criminal offence of receiving stolen property (a chocolate Freddo frog). He attempts to show the outrageousness of the police’s treatment of Aboriginal youths through showing the insignificance of the ‘stolen object’.
Cuneen moves on to look at the impact that said police officers have on the lives of these Aboriginal youths. Cuneen’s declaration that ‘their decisions will significantly impact on a young person’s future’ positions the reader to think that the police should take the futures of said young person’s into account before making the decision to potentially apprehend them. This is reinforced by his next statement that there is no real public benefit ‘from charging a