Queensland Justice System - 2005

LETTER TO EDITOR - 3 September 2005

Dear Editor

Whilst magistrates and judges squabble over staff transfers and wrangle over legal definitions, it seems our justice system has failed to deliver a fair outcome yet again.

Why should the maligned egos of two managers outweigh the need to root out chronic problems within our taxpayer funded health system? And why should the cold indifference of hired bureaucrats override the welfare of those who pay their wages? It is quite clear that the empire builders of Queensland Health are completely unwilling to take responsibility for the mess that they have put our hospitals into.

We all owe Tony Morris QC a big thank you for his conduct of the now torpedoed Health Enquiry.

Thank you, Tony, for having the humanity to see the tears in nurse Toni Hoffman’s eyes and for stepping down from the bench to shake her hand. Thank you for asking the searching questions our Premier and his ministers could not (or would not) ask. Thank you for seeking answers to why so many people have had adverse outcomes in the hospitals of a prosperous and modern society like Australia. Thank you for listening to everyday Queenslanders, for understanding their struggles, their suffering, their frustration, and for expressing your genuine concerns for their welfare.

We take our hats off and say thank you for showing empathy when our political leaders are ducking for cover, for seeing through the layers of administrative rubbish which are nobbling our health administration and for continuing to do your job when a few vested interests were working to bring your efforts to nothing.

Shame on a legal system numb to the needs of the citizens it is meant to serve and insensitive to the rights of victims; a system so anxious to protect the reputations of a few and so concerned about the rights of the minority that it fails to bring fairness and justice to the majority.

How can we respect the wig that covers the ears of a judge and prevents him from hearing the suffering of thousands of citizens?