Five days have passed since live video started coming in from the Torres Strait showing rising seas rushing through homes.
It has now been five days since calls for help were made and the people of the Torres Strait have once again been largely ignored by the nations media and the government. Every year the impact of king tides is increasing throughout the Torres Strait. The solutions are known but the government appears to be unwilling when it comes to spending money in the region which has left residents exposed to the threats of rising sea levels.
These were the scenes on Monday. This is clearly a disaster that deserves attention from at least the state government level. But where is that help? So far the only form of help has come from a private shipping company that services the islands. Seaswift are calling on Cairns residents to donate goods and they will be loaded into one shipping container which will depart Cairns next Thursday.
Only one of the six islands at most risk from the tides has the protection of a sea wall which only came after a decade of lobbying. Worse still, residents have been shunned by the nations media with news and images of the disaster largely ignored by Australia’s mainstream media networks.
Why are the calls for help being ignored? Where are the national news reports? People wonder why Indigenous people don’t feel a strong association with the term Australian. Well you’re seeing once again how the nation continues to let our people down time and time again.
