One of the most telling aspects of the terrible injustices involved in the death in police custody of Palm Islandman Mulrunji Doomagee is that, five years on, there has been no public investigation and report into the roles of various police played in investigating the events leading up to, during and following the death.
It now seems likely that a reportfrom Queensland’s Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) into the way police dealt with that death in custody will be finished by the end of the year. Precisely what is made public and what happens from there is still unknown, but the CMC’s credibility will be stake almost as much as that of the Queensland Police service.
There have been growing criticisms of a perceived ineffectiveness of the CMC, as well as allegations that elements within the CMC may be too close to the government and the police. A report today in The Australian that the Parliamentary Crime and Misconduct Commissioner, Alan MacSporran, has “accepted a brief to represent the Queensland Police Service at the second coronial inquest into Doomadgee’s death, to be held in February” will do little to quell those concerns.
It is hard not to perceive a justice system operating on double standards when Aboriginal people accused of being involved in a riot on Palm Island, after an initial official announcement that Mulrunji’s death was accidental, were quickly arrested and charged, while so little has happened in response to the death itself and the clear indications of malpractice in the way police investigated it.
There has been more than sufficient evidence provided to the first inquest, as well as at the trials of some of the accused rioters, to warrant a major investigation. The people of Palm Island, and the many people of Queensland and beyond who support them, are still waiting. Let’s see what the CMC delivers.
3 Comments
Nobody is happy with deaths in custody of aboriginals, but does that make Chris Hurley automatically guilty. No! It seems Mr Bartlett is not concerned with getting the truth – only with getting a policeman convicted, whether he be innocent or guilty.
How many inquests does there need to be. How many times does the hurt and the pain by both the relatives of Mulrunji Doomagee and Chris Hurley have to be revisited? Until Hurley is found guilty, judging by Bartlett’s comments.
Anyone familiar with the case or Hurley’s background would be aware that Hurley (at least until what happened on Palm Island) was very protective of the aboriginal community. The fact that he asked to be located in this particular community – and was not just rotated there – speaks volumes.
How many of you would or have volunteered to work in aboriginal communities. Not many I’d say.
That does not mean Hurley is a saint, only that it does not fit in with his character. A person who wanted to work with the aboriginals and had a clean record (to that point) would not suddenly go rampaging through the community because he suddenly found himself to be a racist.
What did actually happen that night is tough to tell, but it would appear Hurley’s version would appear to be more correct. Anyone who has been in a scuffle knows that falling down often occurs, especially when dealing with a drunken person. Hurley landing on Doomagee with his knee is not just plausible, but likely. You only have to walk around a city at the weekend at night to see people who are fighting or being restrained falling to the ground and someone landing on top of them – it happens every weekend in most city’s.
Pre-conceived ideas of someone’s innocence or guilt are dangerous. Let it go Bartlett, for the sake of satisfying your own ego, it’s not worth it. Let’s focus on the real issue, aboriginal health, housing, self esteem and their future.
Of course if that’s too hard to deal with, then by all means, go back to bashing up the police service. That is easier.
‘Pedro’
I never mentioned Hurley in this post. This is not about his guilt or otherwise. It is about the unbelievable five year delay in investigating the mountain of evidence and allegations regarding the police ‘investigation’ into the death in custody.
If you are so concerned about Mr Hurley, why wouldn’t you welcome examinations of the police ‘investigation’ of the death in custody? Surely the more light shone onto it, the more it would show your view is correct? Unless you’re just a miserable troll trying to smear anyone who dares to speak on behalf of the person who ended up dead with their liver cleaved in half as a result of a ‘complicated fall’.
The five year (and counting) delay in examining the police ‘investigation’ of the death in custody stands in stark contrast to the overnight stormtrooper invasion of Palm Island in response to the disturbance following the almost instant initial ‘finding’ that the death in custody was an accident.
Are you seriously suggesting that there is no problem in taking more than five years to investigate these allegations? Even if you don’t give a toss about the residents of Palm Island, surely Mr Hurley deserves to have had this issue put to bed by now?
Of course if that’s too hard to deal with, then by all means, go back to bashing up on Aboriginal people. That is much easier – and you will have history behind you to stoke your ego too.
How often are we going to pay big biccies to get the fox to look after the henhouse?Wherever and whenever we see organisations running internal investigations,it is difficult not to wonder how impartial the findings are.Who caused it,why they did it, is not what makes my eyes tear up but the thought of the pain suffered by the victim prior to dying.