A human rights activist has called for further probes of Queensland police culture and “a huge vacuum clean out” of the service.
Key points:
- Human rights activist Professor Gracelyn Smallwood says “now is the time” for major cultural change within Queensland police
- Institute of Collaborative Race Research director Chelsea Watego says police funding would be better directed towards community organisations
- She says inquiries without accountability are “all but useless”
The Independent Commission of Inquiry into Queensland Police Service (QPS) culture and responses to domestic and family violence has this week heard several incidents of bullying, sexism, homophobia and racism.
After more than 50 years of activism, Professor Gracelyn Smallwood said the extent of misconduct came as no surprise to her.
“None of that’s new to me,” she said.
Professor Smallwood said there now needs to be broader inquiries into racism and sexual misconduct in the QPS to ensure inappropriate behaviour is stopped.
“Now is the time. Not just to deal with it mildly,” she said.
“There has to be massive inquiry, and massive changes, not from a top-down approach, but from a bottom-up approach.
“I believe that we’ll have a better future for all Australians once all of this inappropriate behaviour is cleaned out.
“There’s got to be a big vacuum clean out of the entire department.
“I believe [Commissioner] Katarina [Carroll] is the person who can do it with a lot of support from politicians who don’t believe in this inappropriate antisocial behaviour.”
Professor Smallwood said she was happy the issues had been raised in the inquiry.
“I’m really pleased because I never thought it would happen in my time and 50 years of advocating that this would all come out,” she said.
“We’ve got to turn the triangle upside down in Australia, because people have got their head in the sand.”
‘I was surprised at the surprise’
On Thursday, Commissioner Carroll became emotional as she gave evidence about the multiple complaints of sexual harassment she made in the police service in the 1980s and 1990s.
The inquiry heard she was “pinched on the arse” by a senior officer at a watch house early in her career, and was “attacked by a sexual predator” colleague.
“I was shocked to see her in the inquiry and talking about her own sexual abuse,” Professor Smallwood said.
The support comes after the government also expressed their backing of the commissioner.
The inquiry also heard several instances of racism within the QPS, including a sergeant who said “You can smell them before you see them” in reference to First Nations people.
Commissioner Carroll said she was disturbed by the “absolutely horrific” evidence of racism.
Queensland University of Technology Indigenous health professor and director of the Institute of Collaborative Race Research, Chelsea Watego said she was not surprised by revelations of racism.
“I was surprised at the surprise surrounding it given there has been so much evidence put forth by particularly Indigenous peoples,” she said.
“I was a bit kind of annoyed that people were shocked at these findings.
“Why haven’t they been paying attention to the testimonies of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people all this time?
“A key question that we need to ask ourselves once we move past a state of shock about these findings is what do we do about it?
“Inquiries without accountability are all but useless.”
Rather than a separate inquiry into racism, Professor Watego said she would like to see a scaling back of police budgets and redirecting the funds to the “community control sector to better respond to these issues”.
“Over the last 20 years, we’ve seen a defunding of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders community control centre and we have a small number of organisations that carry the burden,” she said.
She said communities and families were having to develop their own solutions that had not been resourced.
“We’ve also called for a review of laws like public nuisance that are seeing Indigenous women incarcerated,” Professor Watego said.
It was part of a submission jointly made by the Institute of Collaborative Race Research and the advocacy group Sister Inside.
That same group also provided an expert report to the commission explaining systemic racism, particularly in relation to Queensland’s policing.
She said she was frustrated that it took so long for the issue to be recognised.
“That happened some months ago now, and where was the coverage? It’s not until a white person [in this case Commissioner Carroll] acknowledges the existence that suddenly people see its realness.”
Call to ‘weed out the bad apples’
Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers told the inquiry today that sexist and racist behaviour was not widespread in the service.
Opposition Leader David Crisafulli said the service had to “weed out the bad apples” as the cultural issues were not a reflection of all police officers.
“The commission of inquiry needs to run its course and that is fair and proper,” he said.
“We have to weed out the bad apples, because in the end there are thousands of people who wear blue uniforms – men and women – who are absolute heroes.
“I won’t have their reputation tarnished because of those actions.”
Today marks the final day of hearings into the QPS response to domestic and family violence.