Binjari and Rockhole community leaders hit back at social media claims in statement

In a statement released on Wednesday afternoon, via the Wurli-Wurlinjang Aboriginal Health Service which provides health care to the residents of Binjari and Rockhole, the senior community members spoke out on behalf of the two communities.

They rejected claims made on social media that members of Binjari community were being forcibly removed by Australian Defence Force personnel or otherwise mistreated by authorities.

"We have been treated with a lot of respect and appreciate all the support being given by these support personnel people," the statement reads.

"We are in lockdown because we're in the biggest fight of our lives. We're trying to keep safe. We're trying to do the right thing by the community and Katherine."

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The leaders said the misinformation had been hurtful to people currently battling the outbreak.

"We don't need people out there creating another flood for us. We don't appreciate outside people making comments that are untrue," the statement reads.

"People on social media saying that our people are being mistreated need to realise their comments are hurting the very people they claim to care about.

"We want people to respect our privacy and show respect for our feelings."

Binjari and Rockhole remain in a strict lockdown after a COVID-19 outbreak in Binjari near Katherine.

Both communities were locked down because of the frequency of intermingling between the two.

ADF personnel were called in last week to assist in transporting close contacts of COVID-19 cases to the Howard Springs quarantine facility near Darwin.

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