RAIDS BUST ALLEGED FIREARMS, DRUG RING
DEATH from COVID-19 is a horrible experience. The disease attacks the lungs, triggering a massive response from the body’s immune system. Breathing becomes difficult. The lack of oxygen causes multi-organ failure, respiratory failure and septic shock.
Six people in Queensland have so far lost their lives to this awful disease. To minimise the risk of more cases, our whole society has been transformed. Tens of thousands have been thrown out of work. Borders are shut. The Gold Coast economy has been thoroughly trashed.
Now consider this. There is another section of our society dying in terrible agony. In the last five years, there have been at least 18 such victims. But unlike in the case of COVID sufferers, there is no medical intervention, no pain relief.
There are no protests against their plight.
In fact in these cases, some key government staff can’t even be bothered to work later than 5pm.
The deaths of young children known to be at risk of harm are more terrible than any other.
The latest was four-yearold Willow Dunn, who was left to starve in the bedroom of a Brisbane house.
Little Willow’s body was there for days before police were called. It was reportedly attacked by vermin.
The circumstances of Willow’s death are still before the courts as both her father and stepmother have been charged with murder.
Both have denied any wrongdoing.
Almost four years before Willow’s death there was Caboolture boy Mason Jet Lee. If you haven’t heard of him, you should have.
Mason was 21 months old when, as a coroner’s court was told, he suffered “an unimaginably painful death”.
His stepfather William O’Sullivan was a monster with a long history of violence and drug abuse. In June 2016, he punched Mason in the stomach so hard that his organs ruptured.
Neither he, nor Mason’s mother, sought medical care for the boy, leaving him to an agonising fate over many days.
Mason was well known to Department of Child Safety workers. Months before his death he spent three weeks in hospital with horrific injuries. A veteran paediatrician reported them as the worst he had ever seen – yet the child was sent back to the same miserable home.
It was one of many serious warning signs, which continued right up until the day before Mason’s death, when a neighbour told a case officer the toddler was being “held hostage” by O’Sullivan. Deputy State Coroner Jane Bentley, in a report handed down earlier this month, revealed that the case officer simply “went home”.
“Later that afternoon (10 June 2016) CSO6 (Child Safety Officer 6) was told by Ms Lee’s neighbour that Mr O’Sullivan was dangerous and violent and was holding Mason hostage but took no action to assess Mason’s safety and went home,” Ms Bentley wrote.
“Later that afternoon”. Maybe it was approaching five.
Queensland Police Union President Ian Leavers is among those frustrated by the attitude.
“It’s ironic with child safety officers that they only work business hours,” Mr Leavers told ABC Radio Brisbane.
“I can tell you in police work, child abuse and neglect occurs 24-7, it doesn’t just occur during business hours. We have no problems doing what we can do, but if they can’t do their job then perhaps these jobs and investigations need to go to someone who can and needs to be funded accordingly.”
In a telling comment, Mr Leavers said notifications often arrived with police at a time that will be familiar to anyone who has ever worked with clock-watchers.
“Child Safety need to step up and work with police and not flood police late on Fridays with many notifications which were urgent but haven’t been attended to during the week,” he said.
Mr Leavers has called for extra police resources to investigate cases of child neglect. Shockingly, some child protection officers have instead been redirected to border checkpoints.
It is clear that massive reform is urgently needed. No child should be left in the hands of neglectful guardians.
The Palaszczuk Government promises it will have employed 500 additional frontline child safety staff by the end of the year. It says it is spending $1.3 billion on child safety this year alone. It has introduced random drug testing for parents with vulnerable children.
But it is clearly nowhere near enough.
The Department of Child Safety needs to be radically overhauled, any clockwatchers pushed out.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, in response to the
Deputy State Coroner’s report regarding the Mason Lee case, has characteristically ordered yet another report.
There have already been more than enough.
The LNP, with Mudgeeraba MP Ros Bates leading the charge, has proposed more radical measures which would see police investigators embedded in a thoroughly reformed child safety department and greater use of adoption.
But this should not be a party political issue. We cannot afford to wait until after the state elections in October.
Premier, if you can sink our economy to save adults from the threat of COVID-19, you can also move heaven and earth to help these children. There is no need for yet more reports. Act decisively and act now.
Because believe it or not there are even worse ways to die than at the hands of the dreaded COVID-19. And it’s innocent children who are the victims.
NSW detectives will apply to extradite two Gold Coast men allegedly connected with a syndicate supplying drugs and “military grade firearms”.
The men, aged 27 and 36, were arrested yesterday after raids at Highland Park and Mudgeeraba properties.
Police alleged firearms and a pill press allegedly used in the manufacture of MDMA were found. An Ashmore property was also raided.
The two men were among five arrested across Queensland, NSW and Victoria following a six-month joint investigation.
Richmond Police District Commander Detective Acting Superintendent Cameron Lindsay said it would be alleged the men were involved in the large commercial supply and manufacture of illegal drugs in northern NSW.
It would be further alleged the men were involved in the supply of illegal weapons, consistent with “military grade firearms”, he said.
Supt Lindsay said it would be alleged the syndicate was “operating over state borders between Queensland, NSW and into Victoria”.
“We will allege there were occasions where things were being manufactured both here, and in southeast Queensland,” he said.
He said he was extremely concerned by the type of weapons located in the raids.
NSW police said investigators raided properties in Lismore and Ballina yesterday where they allegedly found methylamphetamine, MDMA, firearms parts and cash.
A Ballina man, 28, was arrested and was charged with a string of offences. He was refused bail to appear at Lismore Local Court today. Detectives will apply for the Gold Coast men’s extradition in Southport Magistrates Court today.
Victoria police also raided two properties, arresting two men. Detectives will apply to extradite a 27-year-old man to NSW.