more on Cornelia, and Ruddock’s inferno

Already, and unsurprisingly, all seems to have gone quiet on the Cornelia Rau scandal, though more allegations are coming out re abuses within Baxter.
Back on Feb 4 there was this from a mag called Expatica (I think for English-speaking ex-pats in Germany), wrongly describing Rau as an Australian citizen – I believe she’s a permanent resident like me. Today’s Age carries an article on the ethical dilemmas facing medical staff, particularly psych staff, when human rights are possibly being abused.
Amanda Vanstone’s website gives details of the nature and scope of the enquiry headed by former police commissioner Mick Palmer. Five ‘terms of reference’ are mentioned, the one of most interest to many of us dealing with the kinds of issues mentioned in today’s Age article, that is that the enquiry will ‘examine and make findings on measures taken to deal with [Rau’s] medical condition and other care needs during that period [i.e. March 2004 to Feb 2005];’, because it’s the awful treatment of people in detention generally that makes this really scandalous. You wonder if Rau will ever recover from the abuse she suffered. You wonder about all the others…
This Feb 6 Age article really captures the issue well. It describes a hell in which the more ‘crazy’ your behaviour becomes, the more badly you are treated by staff and the less likely you are to be dealt with by health professionals, or to be independently assessed. It’s an immigration department mindset created largely by Ruddock, and he should take the blame for it. Yet this government is still allowed to get away with bland assurances and business as usual.