New sex charges for award-winning Denmark indigenous tourism operator

Award-winning tourism operator and self-proclaimed indigenous healer Joseph Luke “Joey” Williams is facing two fresh sexual penetration without consent charges. The Denmark man, 57, who runs Poornarti Aboriginal Tours in the Great Southern, was released on bail in November after appearing at Albany Magistrate’s Court for nine counts of sexual penetration without consent and three counts of indecent assault. He is now facing 11 counts of sexual penetration without consent and is yet to enter pleas. In November, police said the charges were a result of an “extensive investigation” into alleged historic sexual abuse incidents. It is alleged that between 2009 and 2014, Mr Williams sexually and indecently assaulted four women who had met him because of their interest in traditional Aboriginal healing methods. The alleged incidents occurred in locations across WA, including Denmark, the Stirling Ranges, Perth and Broome. On his Poornarti Aboriginal Tours website, Mr Williams, pictured, says he is an Aboriginal elder, cultural adviser and lore man who has “mastered the ancient technique of vibrational healing passed on to him through his ancestral lineage”. “He has been a cultural educator and art lecturer at TAFE for nine years and has been instrumental in fusing the reconciliation process throughout communities in the region,” the website says. Poornarti’s tourism offerings include water healing, vibrational healing and “soul camps”. The business won two awards at the 2017 Albany Chamber of Commerce and Industry Great Southern Business Awards, including the start-up and innovation category. Later that year, Mr Williams called for an end to the “buff on the Bluff” social media craze, which involves hikers taking nude or topless photos on Bluff Knoll. “I just think it’s disrespectful — we want to keep places like that sacred to our people,” he said.