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The Guardian
a day ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Grace visited doctors with health concerns eight times in her last week of pregnancy. On the ninth visit, she was told her baby was stillborn
Grace* was just over 40 weeks pregnant when she arrived at a public hospital in regional New South Wales. The Gamilaraay woman had been excited for the pending birth of her first child, a son called Koa. Her husband's job meant he was often away for long stretches of time, but on this day, by chance, he was by her side attending her ultrasound for the first time. They were both waiting for the reassuring sounds of a heartbeat, a kick to the ribs to let her know her baby was OK. It didn't come. 'This was his first time seeing our baby on the ultrasound, but it was not a good one. That's when they told us that it was no heartbeat,' Grace says. 'He was gone.' It was Grace's ninth trip to the hospital after a flurry of presentations between her GP, local hospital and a larger major hospital where she had sought help with worrying symptoms. Her hands and feet became puffy at 39 weeks gestation; she was unable to wear her jewellery or watch. She'd had pains in her abdomen from undiagnosed gallstones earlier in her pregnancy but they were dismissed as indigestion. She visited her GP several times before being advised to go to the small local hospital. Each time her blood pressure was checked, she had given a urine sample and had been advised to go home. At 39 weeks gestation, she was advised against having her baby induced. One week later, her baby was confirmed to have died of complications from preeclampsia. After the ultrasound which revealed her son had died, Grace was given medication to bring on labour, told to go and get some dinner and come back to the hospital once contractions had started. 'We went back to the hospital and they gave us a room in the birthing suite away from the other mothers,' she says. She was in labour for two days. Grace strongly believes that if she had been listened to when she first began to seek medical attention, her son would be alive today. The day Grace speaks to Guardian Australia would have been Koa's ninth birthday. Instead, their only interaction was in a CuddleCot, a specialised cot with a cooling system to allow grieving families to spend time with their deceased baby. 'It's just really hard not to hear like that first cry, and your body just does strange things,' she says. 'He was laying in the little cot, I was looking at him, and just even though I knew, there was still some hope in me that his chest would move, or he'd start crying. I refused to believe what I was going through.' At those previous medical appointments, Grace says, her blood pressure readings were fluctuating 'dramatically', with some readings very high. She says she consistently showed elevated protein levels in her urine. Both are potential red flags for preeclampsia, a pregnancy complication which can be life-threatening for mother and baby. After three visits, between her GP and her local hospital, Grace was told by her obstetrician to present to another hospital two hours away, where she was monitored overnight before being discharged and told to go to her local GP. Her blood pressure at the GP clinic read 157/95, indicative of hypertension or preeclampsia. She was then told to go back to the local hospital to get her blood pressure rechecked – which yielded the same result. After half an hour her blood pressure dropped and she was told to go home and see her GP again the next day, and have her blood pressure checked every 48 hours. She says she was advised about decreased foetal movements, and told that her GP was against an induction and advised her to 'wait for the baby to be ready to come' – despite her pregnancy complications. She says a week after she was discharged – after eight visits to her GP and hospital with erratic and high blood pressure readings – she realised she hadn't felt the baby move, and so ate something to see if that would encourage movement. She said to her husband that she felt they weren't being listened to. 'I don't actually know what to do at this point,' she said. 'We go to the doctor, and they tell us to go to hospital. We go to the hospital, then they tell us to go back to the doctor, and it's just like a vicious cycle.' Grace called the maternity ward that had admitted her and was initially told to go to the local hospital before being advised to present to the maternity ward. She says she felt excited that she might get some help. Instead she was told her child was dead. 'There was no real time to process the news,' she says. 'I had to give natural birth and that [took] two days. They would not give me a C-section because they said that I would have mental problems from having to look at a scar on my stomach. But I still have problems from that experience. They treated me giving birth [to a dead baby] like a normal person who's having a live baby.' Guardian Australia has been investigating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women's experiences in maternal care and midwifery, uncovering complaints of culturally unsafe care, allegations of discrimination, unwanted medical interventions and infant removals. Grace says she is unable to say if her Aboriginal heritage was a factor but strongly believes her concern that something was wrong was dismissed by both local doctors and the hospital. She sued NSW Health over the incident and the department settled without prejudice and with no admissions of liability. Her lawyer, Linda Crawford, a former midwife who now works for Catherine Henry Lawyers, claims Grace was let down by the medical system. 'There were many missed opportunities in the care provided to [her],' Crawford says. Crawford says she believes there is often a lack of appropriate expertise and medical experience in remote and regional areas that, coupled with the complex needs of patients and the vast areas that small local hospitals cover, can have adverse outcomes despite the best efforts of health professionals. In response to questions from Guardian Australia, NSW Health says it is 'committed to ensuring pregnant women, their babies and families receive high quality, safe and timely maternity care' but would not provide any further comment on Grace's case. 'We acknowledge the deep and lasting grief associated with the loss of a child and we extend our sincere condolences to all families impacted by stillbirth,' a NSW Health spokesperson said. Grace, who has since had two more children, says it is vital that women are listened to by health professionals and failure to do so can lead to devastating outcomes. 'All women need to be listened to,' she says. 'I just want the right treatment. I wanted to be heard and I wasn't.' *Names have been changed In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. The Indigenous crisis hotline is 13 YARN, 13 92 76. Stillbirth support can be accessed via the Stillbirth Foundation Australia.
SBS Australia
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- SBS Australia
The Next Generation celebrated by First Nations Australians during NAIDOC Week 2025
Ngarbal Gamilaraay artist Jeremy Morgan Worrall has long dreamt of designing a NAIDOC Week poster. This year, his artwork was finally selected as the festival's official artwork. "I've been in this competition every year for the past six years and this year I've been chosen. And it just felt like such an honour. And I just felt really proud of myself, but also proud of my family who's been supporting me. I was over the moon really. " Titled 'Ancestral Lines', the work depicts five figures, each representing a group of family members or ancestors. While the colours are contemporary, the elaborate designs are inspired by the traditions of his homelands in northern New South Wales. "Most of the time they are focused on the linework that can be found in tree scarring and shield making and burn painting and stuff like that. Below those characters are those kinds of lines that are meant to be moments in time and knowledge and experiences that they have learned that get passed down onto the next generation; and that influence that generation." The poster is a stunning visual reflection of this year's NAIDOC Week theme 'The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy'. For Jeremy, the next generation is testament to generations past. "What I wanted to try and show was that you can't really move forward without acknowledging the past and being aware of others that came before you that allowed you to be where you are today, and so I wanted a way to show that, and a way to honour my ancestors, and to show that connection and what I've learnt from them." Professor Lynette Riley is the chair of Aboriginal Education and Indigenous Studies at the University of Sydney; and co-chair of the NAIDOC Committee. She says - at a time when Indigenous young people are disproportionately represented in jails and detention centres - the committee wants to highlight the incredible potential of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth. "The things we were really distressed about is the way our youth is constantly diminished and demeaned in the media. We thought it was really important that we started to look at what it is that our young people bring to our society - the strength, the resilience they have. They are our future leaders, they are our legacy, and we want you to understand that." NAIDOC Week began as a protest movement, to draw attention to the oppressive laws and multiple injustices imposed on First Nations people. In 1938, as Australia celebrated 150 years since the First Fleet landing, Aboriginal activists staged a 'Day of Mourning', leading a march of more than 1,000 people in Sydney. The rally became an annual event, and in the 1950s, moved to July - no longer just a protest, but a celebration of Aboriginal culture. The National Aboriginal Day Observance Committee was formed soon after. In 1975 the day became a week, expanding in 1991 to recognise the distinct cultural histories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Professor Riley says Indigenous people are still fighting for justice. "We still do not have the equity and understanding in this country for Indigenous people. We still constantly have to fight for human rights and equity issues, that we still have the highest poverty levels; the lowest levels of education; the lowest of health standards." Today, the NAIDOC march takes place across several major cities, the culmination of a week of concerts, exhibition, workshops, sports matches and more across the country. Professor Riley says all Australians are invited. "So it is that personal interaction with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at local regional and state level that is just so vital. You don't get to know about people, if you don't get to know Indigenous people personally." Other key aspects of NAIDOC week are educational resources for schools, and a national televised awards ceremony that celebrates First Nations individuals who have demonstrated excellence in their chosen field. Trailblazing activist and AFL legend Michael Long has already been named the winner of this year's National NAIDOC Lifetime Achievement Award. For poster artist Jeremy Morgan Worrall, this year's NAIDOC Week is a time for reflection and hope. "Part of realising that things are bad is sort of acknowledging that you have to be positive about it, no matter what because to do otherwise is just to give up. And we simply can't do that for our families, we always have to be strong for our families and our people. And I see mob everyday doing so well in life; and it's just so awesome to see how much of our mob are getting uplifted."
The Advertiser
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
Mitch Tambo brightens day for sick children at John Hunter Hospital school
CHILDREN at John Hunter Hospital were treated to a special performance in a visit from didgeridoo player, traditional Indigenous dancer and singer Mitch Tambo. The Australian artist and Gamilaraay man, known for his appearance on the TV show Australia's Got Talent, made a stop in Newcastle on Tuesday, July 1, with his I am Me tour. Kids in the School Room Ward watched Tambo use music, storytelling, his personal experiences and a yarning circle to highlight cultural connection with a focus on youth wellbeing and mental health. "I get to share and celebrate my story through the music and break down the stories behind the music while also just spreading a message of inclusivity and celebrating one another regardless of our differences," he said. "I'm really looking to come here to John Hunter Hospital and give back to some kids doing it tough." His performance featured songs in the Gamilaraay language. "The kids have an amazing time; they're so excited to dance and sing along, creating a truly joyful atmosphere," Tambo said. In his visit, he also touched on the important issue of bullying. "With tragic stories of students taking their own lives due to bullying, both in person and online, I believe it's vital to open up these conversations and provide a safe space for children to feel heard," he said. John Hunter Hospital School principal Amy Kurtz said Tambo's visit was about raising cultural awareness and celebrating NAIDOC week. "We like to think outside the box and offer educational experiences for our students that may sometimes miss out on things like this when not attending regular school," she said. "This helps keep them connected." CHILDREN at John Hunter Hospital were treated to a special performance in a visit from didgeridoo player, traditional Indigenous dancer and singer Mitch Tambo. The Australian artist and Gamilaraay man, known for his appearance on the TV show Australia's Got Talent, made a stop in Newcastle on Tuesday, July 1, with his I am Me tour. Kids in the School Room Ward watched Tambo use music, storytelling, his personal experiences and a yarning circle to highlight cultural connection with a focus on youth wellbeing and mental health. "I get to share and celebrate my story through the music and break down the stories behind the music while also just spreading a message of inclusivity and celebrating one another regardless of our differences," he said. "I'm really looking to come here to John Hunter Hospital and give back to some kids doing it tough." His performance featured songs in the Gamilaraay language. "The kids have an amazing time; they're so excited to dance and sing along, creating a truly joyful atmosphere," Tambo said. In his visit, he also touched on the important issue of bullying. "With tragic stories of students taking their own lives due to bullying, both in person and online, I believe it's vital to open up these conversations and provide a safe space for children to feel heard," he said. John Hunter Hospital School principal Amy Kurtz said Tambo's visit was about raising cultural awareness and celebrating NAIDOC week. "We like to think outside the box and offer educational experiences for our students that may sometimes miss out on things like this when not attending regular school," she said. "This helps keep them connected." CHILDREN at John Hunter Hospital were treated to a special performance in a visit from didgeridoo player, traditional Indigenous dancer and singer Mitch Tambo. The Australian artist and Gamilaraay man, known for his appearance on the TV show Australia's Got Talent, made a stop in Newcastle on Tuesday, July 1, with his I am Me tour. Kids in the School Room Ward watched Tambo use music, storytelling, his personal experiences and a yarning circle to highlight cultural connection with a focus on youth wellbeing and mental health. "I get to share and celebrate my story through the music and break down the stories behind the music while also just spreading a message of inclusivity and celebrating one another regardless of our differences," he said. "I'm really looking to come here to John Hunter Hospital and give back to some kids doing it tough." His performance featured songs in the Gamilaraay language. "The kids have an amazing time; they're so excited to dance and sing along, creating a truly joyful atmosphere," Tambo said. In his visit, he also touched on the important issue of bullying. "With tragic stories of students taking their own lives due to bullying, both in person and online, I believe it's vital to open up these conversations and provide a safe space for children to feel heard," he said. John Hunter Hospital School principal Amy Kurtz said Tambo's visit was about raising cultural awareness and celebrating NAIDOC week. "We like to think outside the box and offer educational experiences for our students that may sometimes miss out on things like this when not attending regular school," she said. "This helps keep them connected." CHILDREN at John Hunter Hospital were treated to a special performance in a visit from didgeridoo player, traditional Indigenous dancer and singer Mitch Tambo. The Australian artist and Gamilaraay man, known for his appearance on the TV show Australia's Got Talent, made a stop in Newcastle on Tuesday, July 1, with his I am Me tour. Kids in the School Room Ward watched Tambo use music, storytelling, his personal experiences and a yarning circle to highlight cultural connection with a focus on youth wellbeing and mental health. "I get to share and celebrate my story through the music and break down the stories behind the music while also just spreading a message of inclusivity and celebrating one another regardless of our differences," he said. "I'm really looking to come here to John Hunter Hospital and give back to some kids doing it tough." His performance featured songs in the Gamilaraay language. "The kids have an amazing time; they're so excited to dance and sing along, creating a truly joyful atmosphere," Tambo said. In his visit, he also touched on the important issue of bullying. "With tragic stories of students taking their own lives due to bullying, both in person and online, I believe it's vital to open up these conversations and provide a safe space for children to feel heard," he said. John Hunter Hospital School principal Amy Kurtz said Tambo's visit was about raising cultural awareness and celebrating NAIDOC week. "We like to think outside the box and offer educational experiences for our students that may sometimes miss out on things like this when not attending regular school," she said. "This helps keep them connected."
The Guardian
11-06-2025
- The Guardian
Tane's son still asks his grandmother: ‘How did my dad die?' She doesn't know what to say
Warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains images and names of Indigenous Australians who have died. This story contains descriptions of self-harm and some readers might find it distressing. In a small rural cemetery in Armidale, a young boy sits by a grave, gazing up at a portrait embedded in the black marble headstone. The boy is quiet. He's taking in the face of the young man before him. Tane Chatfield, the inscription reads. A loving father. A beloved son. When the boy gets home, he asks his grandmother, Nioka Chatfield, a question. 'He doesn't say the word die – he calls it 'bombed',' Nioka says. 'So he says, 'Nan, how did my dad get bombed?'' Nioka doesn't know what to say. There's so much to tell. But her grandson is only 11. Tane, a proud Gamilaraay, Gumbaynggirr and Wakka Wakka man, died by hanging in Tamworth correctional centre in 2017. He had been on remand for two years, awaiting trial, and was innocent in the eyes of the law. When Tane entered custody he was clearly identifiable as a prisoner at risk. Yet he was provided no sustained psychological support or drug and alcohol treatment. He was also placed into a cell that had an obvious hanging point. A coroner later described that point as a 'lethal method immediately and obviously available' to Tane. It should not have been there. More than 30 years ago, like all state governments, New South Wales agreed to remove hanging points from its jails in response to the 1991 royal commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody. When asked by the coroner to explain the failure, a senior NSW corrections officer blamed the jail's 'heritage' listing, saying this restricted physical changes to the building. She claimed that the complex had been built in the 1700s – before European settlement of the area. Guardian Australia has spent months investigating hanging deaths like Tane's in every state and territory. The investigation has revealed a staggering death toll linked to inaction on known hanging points. Across 19 prisons, at least 57 hangings occurred using ligature points that were known to authorities but not removed. In one case the same point was used in 10 hanging deaths, despite repeated, early warnings that it be immediately removed. Guardian Australia has spent five months investigating the deadly toll of Australia's inaction to remove hanging points from its jails, a key recommendation of the 1991 royal commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody. The main finding – that 57 inmates died using known ligature points that had not been removed – was made possible by an exhaustive examination of coronial records relating to 248 hanging deaths spanning more than 20 years. Reporters combed through large volumes of coronial records looking for instances where a hanging point had been used repeatedly in the same jail. They counted any death that occurred after prison authorities were made aware of that particular hanging point. Warnings were made via a prior suicide or suicide attempt, advice from their own staff or recommendations from coroners and other independent bodies. Guardian Australia also logged how many of the 57 inmates were deemed at risk of self-harm or had attempted suicide before they were sent into cells with known hanging points. In adherence with best practice in reporting on this topic, Guardian Australia has avoided detailed descriptions of suicide. In some instances, so that the full ramifications of coronial recommendations can be understood, we have made the decision to identify types and locations of ligature points. We have done this only in instances where we feel the public interest in this information being available to readers is high. Official data shows the rate of Aboriginal hanging deaths is at a 17-year high. Seven Indigenous Australians hanged themselves in prison in 2023-24, according to the latest data available, a record not seen since 2000-01. It correlates with Australia's surging prisoner population. Indigenous Australians remain vastly overrepresented in prison populations and hundreds have died in custody – 101 of those by hanging – since the 1991 royal commission. Australia's longest serving Indigenous affairs minister, Robert Tickner, who presented the royal commission's report to federal parliament and helped secure agreement to its recommendations, is outraged. 'There can be no excuses for the failure to act,' he says. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email 'We must not as a nation take our focus off the core recommendation of the royal commission, which was reducing the numbers of Aboriginal people in the criminal justice system. 'I've just come from a parliamentary committee in NSW and they've asked me, have things changed in all those years? And, very sadly, in this space, no. The numbers are still truly shocking.' The coroner who investigated Tane's death, Harriet Grahame, said authorities had failed to tackle the 'grossly disproportionate incarceration of Indigenous people' in the three decades since the royal commission. Governments, she said, had also failed to address the underlying factors driving overrepresentation, including glaring disadvantages across economic, health, housing and education spheres. 'Tane's death must be understood in its context of real social injustice, ongoing dispossession and his lived experience of inter-generational trauma,' she said. The failures did not stop after Tane's death. In 2020 the NSW coroner told the state government to audit Tamworth prison for obvious hanging points and to have them removed. The audit was conducted in October 2020. The government reported back that it 'did not identify any obvious cell hanging points'. Guardian Australia can reveal that, within 12 months of that audit, the inspector of custodial services visited the prison and found multiple hanging points, including some that were said to have been removed. Though some were removed after Tane's death, the report said: 'The most significant concern, however, at the time of the inspection was the multiple hanging points we observed in the cells.' Nioka says: 'When they said to us that they were going to deal with the hanging points … You think, 'OK, so no other family's going to go through this.' 'It's like they just pick your hopes up and they just shatter you.' When the inspector conducted a follow-up visit in 2024, the ligature points had been removed. A spokesperson for Corrective Services NSW said the government was 'committed to reducing all preventable deaths in custody' and had already removed hanging points from 800 cells across the state. An additional 145 cells were expected to be completed by July 2025. The government had invested $16m in ligature point removal, the spokesperson said, which would 'continue the extensive work that has already been undertaken across several facilities' to remove unsafe furniture and infrastructure. Growing up, Tane's siblings called him 'golden child'. Family meant everything to him. He rarely left his mother's side. 'He was a type of person that would make sure everyone had a bed, everybody had a feed,' Nioka says. 'He'd take his shirt off his back and give it to anybody.' Tane had big plans for his life. An immensely talented footballer, he set his sights on going pro. He was being watched by scouts, Nioka says, and had made representative rugby league sides. His cousin, Bevan French, went on to play in the NRL. But, at the age of 15, Tane suffered a serious injury during a game of touch. 'It just sent him into a deep depression,' Nioka says. 'He stopped playing sports with his siblings and he just thought, 'If I can't do what I'm good at, what can I do?'' Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Tane's first stint in custody changed him. 'He come home, he said, 'Mum, it's like, all the boys in there treat you like a family,'' Nioka says. 'So he got that sense of having another family.' 'And he thought, 'Well, is this where I fit in now? Because I can't fit in anywhere with my other brothers that I had on the football field or the cricket field.'' Tane entered custody in 2015. He was held on remand from October that year until his death, and was moved to Tamworth prison in August 2017 so he could be closer to his Armidale trial. On 19 September, a day before he was discovered hanging in his cell, his family saw him in court. Nioka remembers he put two fists up in the air, as if he was going to fight. Then they were told to make an 'emergency' visit to see him in hospital. Nioka found her son in intensive care, naked except for a pair of hospital socks. 'I was really shocked and stunned the way that nobody told us that we were going to find him like that,' she says. 'And it just, it wasn't making sense.' Tane died two days later. His funeral was a sight to behold, Nioka says. 'That beautiful boy, he just made friends everywhere he went,' she says. 'The funeral director rang me two weeks after his funeral and said, 'Nioka, I just want to let you know that in the last 30 years Tane's had the biggest [funeral] … how can your son be 22 and over 3,000 people turn up?'' At the inquest into Tane's death, a senior NSW corrections officer offered up an explanation as to why it was so difficult to remove hanging points from the jail. 'Tamworth CC is a very old facility, heritage listed built in the 1700s [sic] and there are limitations to what you can do with changing infrastructure,' she said. The explanation did not impress. Grahame, the deputy state coroner, described it as 'unacceptable'. 'The limitation of lethal means is one of the most reliable methods of reducing suicide,' she said. 'Coroners have been recommending the removal of hanging points for many years. The issue must be taken seriously. 'Thirty years on from the [royal commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody] it is unacceptable to suggest it would be expensive or difficult to achieve the elimination of hanging points in a 'heritage listed' facility.' Nioka describes the coronial system as the 'monster's loophole'. It investigates serious failures in the corrections system, she says, but can do no more than make non-binding recommendations to address them. She wants an independent body set up to investigate Aboriginal deaths in custody, armed with greater powers to compel change. 'I believe the number would dramatically start lowering … because then someone has to be answerable.' In Western Australia, the family of Ricky-Lee Cound is experiencing similar loss and frustration. Their son, a Noongar man, died in 2022 aged just 22, while in custody at Hakea prison – a facility with a 'parlous' lack of ligature-minimised cells, according to the coroner. The family said: 'The fact that prison cells aren't properly ligature-minimised is a clear indication that the authorities are neglecting their responsibility to protect vulnerable individuals. 'This isn't just a statistic – it's our boy Ricky's life. And the truth is, nothing will bring him back. But we can't let this happen to others.' Dr Hannah McGlade, a Kurin Minang Noongar woman and law academic at Curtin University, describes the continuing deaths of Aboriginal people in custody as a 'severe human rights violation'. '[Removing hanging points is] a very straightforward matter and yet it simply hasn't happened and many lives, largely Indigenous, have been lost as a result,' she says. 'Aboriginal deaths in custody are a national and international shame and blight on Australia.' Megan Krakouer, the director of the National Suicide Prevention and Trauma Recovery Project, says governments have been guilty of 'wilful blindness' on issues including hanging points since the 1991 royal commission. 'That particular Royal Commission, that was really quite powerful,' she says. 'And it's been diminished in every single way because there's no political will.' The independent senator Lidia Thorpe, who is a Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab Wurrung woman, criticises the lack of action on hanging points by the major parties. 'I can't help [but] think that this is part of the ongoing erasure of my people, particularly because we are the most incarcerated,' she says. 'It is the ongoing sophistication of the genocide.' The WA Department of Justice said it had undertaken a comprehensive hanging point removal program since 2005. A spokesperson said priority had been given to 'facilities with the highest risk and need' and the state was also expanding services for those with complex mental health issues, including by building dedicated therapeutic accommodation and employing specialist mental health staff. Tane's son sometimes asks to hear his father's voice. Nioka plays him recordings of prison phone conversations, taking great care in what she lets him hear. She's in no doubt about the reasons behind the gross inaction on hanging points. '[Aboriginal prisoners] are marked as criminals,' she says. 'But they're still human beings, at the end of the day. 'They're somebody's son, they're somebody's daughter.' Indigenous Australians can call 13YARN on 13 92 76 for information and crisis support; or call Lifeline on 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at
