FAMILIES OF MISSING INDIGENOUS MEN RALLY IN ROEBOURNE AFTER PARLIAMENT HOUSE

BY ASAD KHAN

On Friday, November 30th, the Bring Them Home campaign organized a protest in Roebourne, Western Australia—the hometown of missing man Clinton Lockyer. 

This event was part of a broader push for action on the disappearances of Indigenous men in the Pilbara region.

Last week, families of the missing men traveled to Canberra to rally outside Parliament House with the support of Gwenda Stanley, a Gomeroi woman and the caretaker of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy.

Their demands for answers and justice resonated through the halls of Parliament as they met with Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe, a proud Gunditjmara and Gunnai woman, and Greens Senator Dorinda Cox, a proud Yamatji woman.

Senator Cox expressed her frustration and sorrow in a two-minute statement to Parliament, highlighting the ongoing burden placed on grieving families.

 “It is shameful that loved ones are rallying, funding private investigations, and traveling across the country in the midst of their grief, pleading for help,” Senator Cox said.

The Roebourne protest drew significant local attention, with Clinton Lockyer’s family joined by relatives of other missing men.

 Michelle Julian, Clinton’s mother, spoke emotionally about the anguish of not knowing what happened to her son and called for greater efforts in the search.

“Let’s bring them home,” 

 “Hopefully, people who have answers—who know where our missing sons are—will speak up. This has gone on for too long. The years and the heartache of not knowing what happened to our sons haunt us.” she said.

The campaign underscores a deep-seated frustration within the affected families, who feel that critical resources are not being utilized effectively. 

Their collective voice calls for immediate action to address the unresolved disappearances and to bring their loved ones home.