More court support for Indigenous people after Veronica Nelson

Note: this story includes the name of a deceased First Nations person. Magistrates' courts across the state are implementing recommendations to make the system more culturally safe for Indigenous accused people. The changes have been made following the coronial inquest into the death of 37-year-old Aboriginal woman Veronica Nelson. Veronica Nelson died in custody at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre in January 2020 three days after she was taken into custody and refused bail on what the Coroners Court of Victoria found were "relatively minor, non-violent offences". One of the key changes is that each person appearing before the court will be asked if they identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, or both. A court user may choose to provide no information and court proceedings are not stopped if the information is not provided. The court integrated services program (CISP) will also offer support for vulnerable courts users and is being expanded to Sunshine and Bendigo Magistrates' Courts. READ MORE: This program's purpose is to "triage the support needs of people coming before the court". "It provides comprehensive advice to judiciary, court staff, lawyers, and other stakeholders regarding the options available to meet the court users support needs either in the community and/or through mainstream court support or specialist courts," according to Magistrates' Court chief executive Simon Hollingsworth. Mr Hollingsworth also noted that MCV is committed to employing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff to provide assistance and support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander court users, including people who are before the court in custody. Ms Nelson was a proud Gunditjmara, Dja Dja Wurrung, Wiradjuri and Yorta Yorta woman and her death came after she begged for assistance for several hours. The Coroners' Court of Victoria found she was vomiting throughout her stay, struggled with debilitating cramps and had asked for assistance through the intercom system 49 times. MORE NEWS: She was described as being "grossly underweight", dealing with opioid withdrawal, "shaking and actively vomiting", with bad cramps. Her formal cause of death was identified as complications of Wilkie Syndrome. Her mother, Aunty Donna Nelson, released a statement earlier in 2023 saying her daughter "did not deserve to die in such a cruel, heartless and painful way". "She never harmed a soul other than her own," Aunty Nelson said. Digital subscribers now have the convenience of faster news, right at your fingertips with the Bendigo Advertiser app. Click here to download.