Thaindian News

Melbourne, July 7 (IANS) The Western Australia state government and a private security firm are faced with a $400,000 fine for contributing to the death of an Aboriginal elder who died of heat stroke while being driven in a prison van.

Ward, whose first name is not used for cultural reasons, died in January 2008 in the back of an non-airconditioned van after being driven 360 km to Kalgoorlie city in searing 42 degrees Celsius heat to face a drink-driving charge, Perth Now cited AAP as stating.

The state government’s Department of Corrective Services has pleaded guilty in failing to ensure non-employees were not exposed to hazards.

Private security contractor G4S has also pleaded guilty for failing to ensure the health and safety of Ward. Both face a maximum fine of $400,000.

State Coroner Alastair Hope conducted an inquest into Ward’s death in 2009 and concluded the department, G4S and the two van drivers contributed to it.

Ward family spokeswoman Daisy Ward has written a letter to Attorney General Christian Porter stating that the fine paid by the Western Australia government and G4S should be spent on establishment of an Environmental Science Centre in Patjarr, in honour of Ward.

Anthropologist Jan Turner, who worked with Ward for 20 years, told AAP that Ward was a “professor of the environment”.

“He was very active in trying to teach sciences of all persuasions,” she said.

Turner said Ward worked with western scientists and taught them about Aboriginal environmental ways.

Ward’s widow and her four children were given a $3.2 million ex-gratia payment from the state government last July.