BY JENNIFFER KUSAPA
SOLOMON Islands High Commissioner to Australia Robert Sisilo is heading up to Queensland to provide in-person support and check arrangements for the repatriation of two Solomon Islanders killed in a car crash, Sunday.
The two, and a third who survived and is in hospital, were in Australia working at a meat factory under the Pacific Labour Scheme.
Sisilo told Island Sun yesterday the Pacific Labour Welfare Duty Officer at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) relayed the incident to him on Sunday afternoon.
“I am making arrangements to travel to Kingaroy, QLD later in the week to provide workers with in person support and check arrangements for repatriation etc,” Sisilo said.
He shared his deep sympathies to the immediate families and friends of the two deceased.
“This is not the first time we have had workers passing away so there’s a system already in place for repatriation,” the high commissioner explained.
“It appears the workers had one too many that night.
“If that was indeed the case then that’s the message I will zero in when I meet our workers later in the week.
“Four workers have passed on since I arrived in January 2020 and if these two are alcohol related then that makes it 3 out of 4 and on the road/traffic related.”
Sisilo said the two were employed by Rural Workforce Management (RWM) in Kingaroy, Queensland.
A statement Queensland police issued said:
“Two men died and another was injured in a single-vehicle crash on the Bunya Highway early on Sunday morning.
“Preliminary investigations indicate that just before 4.30am a silver station wagon was travelling southwest along the Bunya Highway when it left the roadway and overturned at Taabinga.
“As a result a 34-year-old man and a 39-year-old man died from their injuries.
“A 24-year-old male passenger was transported to Kingaroy Hospital and later airlifted to Brisbane for further treatment.
“The Forensic Crash Unit is investigating.”
