Queensland government ‘opens old wounds’ as police officer criticised after Palm Island riots appointed to Legal Aid board | Australian police and policing

The Queensland government is “opening old wounds” by appointing a former police detective who came under heavy criticism for his role in the events surrounding the Palm Island riots in 2004 to the state’s Legal Aid board, First Nations community leaders and law society members say.

The Liberal National party government last month sacked and replaced all Labor-appointed members of the Queensland Legal Aid board.

Attorney General Deb Frecklington has appointed Townsville lawyer and former police officer Darren Robinson.

Robinson was described in federal court documents as the “arch-enemy” in the events before and after the 2004 death in custody of Mulrunji Doomadgee and subsequent riots in the Palm Island community.

“It opened a lot of wounds and brought back a lot of trauma,” said Aunt Gracelyn Smallwood, a Birrigubba, Kalkadoon and South Sea Islander who was on Palm Island the day of the riots. He said justice had still not been served.

“I am very surprised that the Prime Minister allowed these appointments to be made, even though the Prime Minister was very much aware of the case and if he was not, his advisors were obliged to bring the matter to his attention.

“If people read the transcripts, they too would be very surprised by the appointment.”

In 2004, Sen Sergeant Robinson was a friend of police officer Christopher Hurley, who was accused (and ultimately acquitted) of Mulrunji’s manslaughter in the Palm Island police cells.

Robinson investigated an earlier complaint about Hurley from a member of the Palm Island community and ruled the complaint was “fictional.” An investigation described Robinson’s investigation as “superficial, biased and misleading”; He concluded that his conclusion was “dishonest and contrary to objective evidence.”

Robinson was part of a police team sent to Palm Island to investigate a death in custody in 2004. Following the riots, he accompanied armed and ski-masked tactical police into homes and searched for suspects.

In a 2015 federal court case that found police treatment of Palm Island residents was discriminatory, community member Jucinta Barry alleged that Robinson told her not to seek police help if she was beaten or raped by her partner following the riots. Robinson did not directly respond to this claim but appears to have denied it.

Judge Debra Mortimer found that Robinson conveyed “speculative, stereotypical and generalized suspicions” about Palm Island residents to other police officers. The finding said the “inference is clearly clear” that residents at whose homes Robinson had a heavily armed tactical team “knew full well there was no real danger.”

“There was in fact no real danger and this was a deliberate but unnecessary show of force by the QPS and an inappropriate exercise of subjugation.”

Mortimer stated that Robinson’s behavior in questioning the children of community member Lex Wotton amounted to “harassment”.

Questions about the government’s decision

Mulrunji’s death in police custody on Palm Island and the subsequent riots and police response remain a cultural rift in Queensland. Among these people there were still prominent police officers. He was wearing a blue bracelet We support Hurley.

The Crime and Misconduct Commission investigated the incident and He recommended that four officers, including Robinson, be disciplined. Police I did not receive any disciplinary punishment.

Robinson was awarded the Queensland Police Bravery award for his actions on Palm Island.

Under these circumstances, critics say Robinson’s appointment to the Legal Aid board would be seen as particularly divisive and raise questions about the government’s decision. More than 9% of clients applying to legal aid commissions across Australia are First Nations people. This number is likely to be higher in Queensland, where there is a larger proportion of Indigenous people and they are over-represented in the criminal justice system.

Queensland Civil Liberties Council deputy chief executive Terry O’Gorman said the investigation’s findings and recommendation that Robinson be disciplined “should be automatically disqualified”. [him] “Nor is it responsible for any government position, let alone the Legal Aid Board, which sets funding policies for Indigenous people, including the funding of complaints against the police.”

Frecklington did not directly respond to questions about whether he had prior knowledge of Robinson’s connection to events on Palm Island. Robinson’s LinkedIn profile lists legal positions he has held since 2013, but makes no mention of his previous police career.

Frecklington said Legal Aid Queensland was “a critically important agency that works tirelessly to meet the diverse needs of disadvantaged Queenslanders and provide access to justice.

“Mr Robinson’s extensive experience of working with rural and remote communities, including many Indigenous and vulnerable people, will be further strengthened by providing both deep expertise and a real understanding of those most in need.”

Hannah McGlade, a Noongar woman, lawyer and academic, said: “We need to see Aboriginal people appointed to Legal Aid boards in Queensland and also across the country.”

Robinson was contacted and offered the opportunity to comment.