Government and Opposition must dislcose their contacts with Police Union

Queensland Police Union President Ian Leavers’ attack on the bipartisan already legislated Queensland Government Truth and Treaty Body claiming it will skew the justice system in favour of First Nations people is a none too subtle attempt by the Union to influence the upcoming inevitable Queensland Law and Order election due in 12 months time.

Civil Liberties Council Vice‑President Terry O’Gorman said it was absurd for Mr Leavers to claim that inner City latte sippers have grabbed control of the Law and Order agenda and wish to attack police and water down laws as they affect First Nations people.  (see Courier Mail 25 October 2023)

“This is the same Police Union President who attacked retired Queensland Court of Appeal President Margaret McMurdo last year when she released the Hear her Voice Report dealing with unsatisfactory police responses to domestic violence as ‘another woke out of touch report by a retired Judge that overreaches when it pertains to police’”, Mr O’Gorman said.  (see Ciara Jones ABC News 7 October 2022 ‘Queensland Police Union President Ian Leavers tells Inquiry racism and sexism not widespread in Queensland Police Service’)

“This comment was described by Counsel Assisting the Richards Inquiry into misogyny and racism in the QPS as ‘dismissive and belittling’”, Mr O’Gorman said. (Ibid)

Mr O’Gorman said that today’s overtly political comments made by Mr Leavers are underlined by his factually ridiculous comment that 70% of Queenslanders want Governments of all persuasions to “move on from virtue signalling woke nonsense and start tackling real problems such as law breaking in Indigenous communities”.  

“This is clearly a reference to the number of Queenslanders who a week ago voted ‘No’ in the Voice Referendum.  That Referendum was about a voice to Parliament, not about Law and Order in Queensland Indigenous communities”, Mr O’Gorman said.

Mr O’Gorman said that the ever present and growing influence of the Queensland Police Union on Queensland politics and particularly the Union’s unacceptable role in shaping Law and Order policies at State elections should be made more accountable by requiring both the Palaszczuk Government and the Crisafulli Opposition to publicise on a publicly available register all dealings with the Police Union in the next 12 months leading up to the next State election.

“The Police Union has positioned itself at election time in Queensland as powerbrokers.  However if they do not get what they want on Law and Order and police powers the Union campaigns in Queensland elections against the party who does not give them what they want”, Mr O’Gorman said.

Mr O’Gorman said the Police Union President’s comments today represents its coming out of the shadows after the findings of the Richards Inquiry in an attempt to undermine the full and effective implementation of the recommendations of that Inquiry to rectify the significant problems of misogyny and racism in the QPS found to exist by that Inquiry. 

“Mr Leavers needs to be reminded that the QPS and his Union exist to serve the Queensland community and not to be an active player in partisan Law and Order electoral politics”, Mr O’Gorman said.

Today’s Courier Mail editorial appropriately reminded Queenslanders about the Fitzgerald Report’s injunction in July 1989 against the misuse of Government media units in news management tactics. 

“In making the Police Union accountable in its obvious Law and Order role in the election campaign unofficially kicked off in recent times, the conclusion of the Fitzgerald Report should be implemented that ‘any interaction between the Union and Government Ministers including the Premier should only occur with the Police Commissioner and Police Minister being present’”, Mr O’Gorman said. (see Fitzgerald Report page 280)

Date:  25 October 2023