The following is short extract from an interview between reporter John Taylor and Martin Moynihan from the Crime and Misconduct Commission conducted and aired on the 7.30 Report ABC on 17 June 2010.
JOHN TAYLOR: So this would have been handled differently if Cameron Doomadgee was white?
MARTIN MOYNIHAN: I think a lot of people have believed that to be so.
I'm sure that everyone who has been following the events of the Cameron Doomadgee 'death in custody' case will be heartened to hear that the Crime and Misconduct Commission has made recommendation that consideration be given to commencing disciplinary proceedings for misconduct against the following people involved in the 'death in custody' of Cameron Doomadgee: Detective Inspector Webber, Regional Crime Coordinator ~ Detective Senior Sergeant Kitching, Officer in Charge ~ Detective Sergeant Robinson Officer in Charge at Palm Island, Inspector Williams. It further recommended that '...the QPS give consideration to disciplinary proceedings against the members of the Investigation Review Team who initially undertook the investigation'.
JOHN TAYLOR: So this would have been handled differently if Cameron Doomadgee was white?
MARTIN MOYNIHAN: I think a lot of people have believed that to be so.
I'm sure that everyone who has been following the events of the Cameron Doomadgee 'death in custody' case will be heartened to hear that the Crime and Misconduct Commission has made recommendation that consideration be given to commencing disciplinary proceedings for misconduct against the following people involved in the 'death in custody' of Cameron Doomadgee: Detective Inspector Webber, Regional Crime Coordinator ~ Detective Senior Sergeant Kitching, Officer in Charge ~ Detective Sergeant Robinson Officer in Charge at Palm Island, Inspector Williams. It further recommended that '...the QPS give consideration to disciplinary proceedings against the members of the Investigation Review Team who initially undertook the investigation'.
See the following for more information:
CMC Review of the Queensland Police Service Palm Island Review June 2010: http://www.cmc.qld.gov.au/data/portal/00000005/content/13053001276649217949.pdf
Indigenous view of the latest findings:
Indigenous view of the latest findings:
Information about Chris Hurley:
Readers should be reminded that not one charge was bought against a police officer as a result of the Royal Commision into Aboriginal deaths in Custody of in the late 80's.
ReplyDeleteThis is an important fact to consider upon reflecting on the Palm Island case because this was the first time in post war history that a policeman was bought before the law to explain himself in relation to the death in custody.
There are hundreds of retired or still serving police officers who have never been charge or even investigated for their actions that resulted in a death in custody, be it Aboriginal or non Aboriginal person in custody.
Now imagine if you are a member of a small community of 3 thousand people, many of them you know intimately, all of them you share a history of deprivation and over regulation by government and especially the police forces of government.
My point is that no matter what you your views are on Aboriginal people or Aboriginal affairs, every Australian citizen should have faith in the law being a law of impartiality.
For Aboriginal people this faith does not exist.
I take your point ~ you are saying that at least in one sense there have been some advancement, since this is the first time that a policeman was brought to account for his deeds in relation to a death in custody, however, it's a case of, one step forward, two steps backward because there is no impartiality in law when it comes to Aboriginal people. Agree, but I'm wondering if justice is no also weighted towards those with money, power and influence?
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