Some Australian politicians and media are criticising violations of human rights in China, Cuba and elsewhere while ignoring such violations in our own country. Does not this look cynical and hypocritical?
I am concerned about civil rights in Queensland, where quite a number of people continue to call Queensland a 'police state'. In 1980s, there was a Royal Commission of Inquiry into alleged police crimes and misconduct, and police commissioner and some senior police officers were jailed for corruption. Last year, former chairman of that Commission Justice Fitzgerald publicly warned that Queensland has been again heading towards systemic corruption. Also, one very respected retired Judge (who cannot be named ) alluded that Queensland government is lacking political will to address this issue. This year, the chairman of Queensland Crime and Misconduct Commission Martin Moynihan, retired judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland, publicly accused Queensland Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson of "presiding over a culture of cover-up". Nevertheless, Queensland Government extended this Police Commissioner's contract for two more years. There have been few rather cosmetic prosecutions of junior police officers, accompanied by comments that there is no systemic corruption and "few bad apples" does not rot a healthy body of Queensland Police. Obviously, this cannot be true, as if it has not been a systemic corruption and "culture of cover-up" within Queensland Police Service, the majority of corruption cases would be quickly noticed and fixed by police itself due to the specificity of its work. Alas, usually, police does attempt not to admit or play down such cases.
Yet, there is a number of cases of Queensland Police acting above the law and not being responsible for its alleged crimes and misconduct. The most known case is Palm island death in police custody from unnatural causes, consequent local residents’ riot and burnt down police station, for which no-one of police officials was held criminally and even administratively responsible.
Although to a lesser extent, Vincent Berg’s case also demonstrates continuing severe violation of democratic principles and human rights in Queensland, as local authorities refuse to investigate alleged police crimes and misconduct associated with Vincent Berg’s criminal case stating that it cannot be done before the conclusion of Vincent Berg’s case in the courts. Yet, letters received from the courts reveal that there exists no legal obstacle for an immediate commencement of required criminal investigation.
Now, let us imagine that an Australian aboriginal man ‘accidently’ fell on a policeman, and the latter died shortly because his liver was torn into halves and, despite his cries, he was left to die without any medical help. Would such a case receive similar treatment in Queensland or anywhere in the world, which was given to the Palm Island case, and similar outcome as well?
Let us fantasize that Vincent Berg tortured police officers by sleep deprivation after which they were hospitalised, issued false statements and affidavits to the courts, fabricated evidence, and so forth in regard to police officers. Would in such a case Queensland authorities be as unwilling to initiate a criminal investigation as they are in vice versa case?
Alas, neither deceased aboriginal man nor Vincent Berg or any other 'ordinary' person in Queensland have the same human rights as the police officers. Yet, equality of all persons before the law is a fundamental principle of democracy, and any police officer must be accountable to the law in the same manner and to the same extent as any other persons.