Andrew Bartlett (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. As I say, it is appropriate when people use somebody's death to whitewash history to at least put a small component on the record of the negatives of that person's record when it caused so much harm and so much damage to so many people's lives.

I would draw attention to an article in the Courier Mail by journalist Paul Syvret at the end of December with regard to this issue and simply say that the legacy of this era is not something for commemorating. Condolences to a family regarding an individual is appropriate but to use that to commemorate an era that caused so much harm and damage is not appropriate. It must, rather, serve as a reminder that we must never, ever repeat that. When we have a Prime Minister saying that somebody's vision and leadership was so pivotal to the success and dynamism of the state when it was actually a barrier to it, then it is necessary to put that on the record. I'm sorry but I just know far too many people.

Thirty years later the hurt is still so deep and so strong as is the damage done to the institution of government. There has never been any attempt on the part of those who were responsible to accept or recognise that. If that is not done, then it is up to others to point that out. Otherwise, we run a much greater risk of repeating the injustices and the deep corruption of that era, the major shredding of civil liberties and human rights abuses that occurred and the politicisation of the police force that was all justified and continued to be justified many years subsequently.