Police Union Chief Pans ‘Woke Obsession’ in Indigenous Justice Reforms

Queensland Police set up at the Queensland and New South Wales border at Coolangatta on March 25, 2020 Chris Hyde/Getty Images

The head of the Queensland Police Union (QPU) has delivered a stinging rebuke of “inner city latte sippers” pushing initiatives that, he warns, will create a “free pass” for criminals of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent.

Ian Leaver’s comments come just two weeks after Queensland registered the highest “No” vote against the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum to change the Australian Constitution—68.5 percent of voters opposed the move.

The Voice would have altered the Constitution to include recognition of Indigenous people in its preamble, and to embed a near-permanent advisory body into Parliament that would have the power to “make representations” on any issue deemed to impact the community.

Following the referendum’s defeat on Oct. 14—by a resounding 60.2 percent of the national population—the Queensland opposition withdrew its support for the state’s Path to Treaty initiative aimed at establishing “treaties” between the government and local Indigenous communities.

Such treaties could open the door to reparations, land title claims, changes to school curriculums, and dual naming of cities and towns.

Further, as part of the process, the state will host a “Truth and Treaty Body” that will hear from Indigenous communities about the suffering that historical colonisation has caused them, and also produce recommendations on how to close the “gap” between Indigenous people and the wider community.

Police Union Head Speaks Out

Yet Mr. Leaver has called the process “Voice 2.0” and warned it would lead to segregation in the justice system.

“This will be uncomfortable to read and some people will whip themselves into a frenzy over it, but the facts are clear: The latest data from Queensland Corrective Services confirms young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have committed more serious crimes than any other group in custody,” he wrote in The Courier-Mail on Oct. 25.

Ian Leavers, president of the Queensland Police Union, at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Australia on Dec. 21, 2022. AAP Image/Jono Searle

The QPU president said Indigenous people men, under 24, were 50 percent more likely to be incarcerated than non-Indigenous, and for women, that figure was 33 percent.

“These are people arrested by police for serious crimes that required immediate incarceration to protect others or they were found guilty by a court of a dangerous offence,” Mr. Leavers said. “This is after they have at times been extended more leniency and non-custodial opportunities than others.”

The union head said he had visited all of Queensland’s Indigenous communities several times and elders would often complain that the criminal court system was too lenient on Indigenous offenders, adding that their release back into the community resulted in “Hell on Earth.”

Mr. Leavers pointed to Victoria’s recently concluded Yoorook Justice Commission that concluded—among several other recommendations—that the age for criminal responsibility be raised, and easier bail for offenders.

“It suggests allowing every First Nations criminal to be given immediate bail for everything except murder and terrorism,” Mr. Leavers wrote. “That’s right. They are effectively offering a free pass to every rapist, domestic violence abuser, habitual home invader, and car thief who tells police they identify as Aboriginal.”

“The nonsensical recommendations from the Victorian Yoorrook report also demand a Crime and Corruption Division be created and overseen by First Nations people with the power to arrest police if their assessment determines an officer is racist by their version of truth-telling,” Mr. Leavers said.

“This woke obsession needs to stop immediately, and the government should avoid replicating that kooky Victorian model here as it will divide our state into an unrepairable, hateful rabble where neighbours, workmates, and criminals are treated differently by two sets of rules based solely on race.”

He called for the Truth and Treaty Body to be disbanded and for the hundreds of millions in taxpayer funds to be diverted directly into communities.

Queensland Labor Pushes Back

His comments drew a strong response from the Labor government which took aim at the Queensland Police Service’s issues with racism and sexism.

“At a time when the Queensland Police Service is grappling with last year’s independent review that exposed serious evidence of racism, sexism, and misogyny, the head of the Police Union should be focused on working with his members to fix these issues rather than positioning himself as the flag bearer for culture wars in Queensland,” wrote Treaty Minister Leanne Enoch, on Facebook.

She claimed Mr. Leavers was peddling “false stereotypes using factually incorrect information” that did not reflect the lives of Queenslanders.

“There is a reason for that gap [between Indigenous and non-Indigenous] and for the first time in Queensland’s history, we are gathering all the evidence to help us understand why that gap persists.”

Transport Minister Mark Bailey also said Mr. Leavers needed to work on improving the internal culture of the police force.

“Leavers’ confected sledge that acknowledging our full history somehow isn’t truthful needs to be called out for how disingenuous it is. His vile allegation that it will cause more crime or mean lighter sentences is a lie,” he wrote on Twitter.

Meanwhile, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk called his comments divisive and said her government supported reconciliation.

“I do not support comments that are divisive and seek not to unite this state, after what we have seen in terms of the results of the referendum,” she told Parliament. “I do support the president of the police union in terms of extra resources to police, the rollout of the training, and what the police need to do their job.

The state government has conceded that without the opposition’s support, the process towards Treaties would be “almost impossible.”