>From WORLD PERSPECTIVES. Box 3074, Madison, WI 53704
AUSTRALIA
Australia's Minister for Aboriginal affairs, Robert Tickner, has
called for the abolition of public drunkenness as an offense in all
states. Public drunkenness remains an offense in Victoria,
Queensland and Tasmania. Senator Tickner says 16 of 19 aboriginal
deaths in custody in 1990 and 1991 occurred among people who were
in prison for drunkenness in the three states.
Releasing an Australian Institute of Criminology report in
Melbourne, Se. Tickner said national action to reduce high custody
rates among aborigines have not yet taken effect, but new
statistics confirmed that the number of custodial deaths among the
group was in proportion to their numbers in custody. (R. Australia
10/28)