Questions raised over inflammatory police union boss’ crime group gig

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and other senior government members are being asked to reconsider their appointment of inflammatory police union president Ian Leavers to a new crime advisory group.

Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath announced on Thursday that Leavers would be one of 15 members of the Independent Ministerial Advisory Council tasked with analysing crime-related issues and advising her on justice reform and victim support.

Doubling down at a press conference in October, Leavers described criticism of a widely criticised opinion piece as “water off a duck’s back” because he was saying things people were “too frightened to”.Credit: Toby Crockford

On Friday, the outspoken Queensland Police Service’s First Nations advisory group and dozens of supporters released a third open letter expressing disappointment in the government’s actions after an October News Corp opinion piece in which Leavers expressed an “outward racist ideology”.

The letter, signed by fellow council member and Queensland Advocacy for Inclusion chief executive Matilda Alexander, describes the government decision to appoint Leavers an “implicit endorsement” of him along with a “gross disservice” to victims and others seeking change.

Hosted alongside an online petition, the letter also seeks a meeting with Palaszczuk and D’Ath to discuss the concerns and “seek a positive resolution to the ongoing harm that is being felt” after past calls for action were “met with silence”.

“It is beyond belief that the same individual who so recently made overtly racist and fearmongering public commentary about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples could be identified as an appropriate member of this Council,” the letter reads.

“The people most likely to be victims in Queensland are women, children and young people, too often Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ... These people have been let down by this decision. Queensland has been let down by this decision.”

Palaszczuk, D’Ath, Ryan and the police union have been contacted for comment. Asked by Brisbane Times about the appointment on Thursday, D’Ath said Leavers represented a large number of the state’s police officers and would “act as their voice” on the body.

In response to the letter, D’Ath said Leavers’ views were “not at all representative of the government’s view” and her office would arrange a meeting with the First Nations advisory group for next week.

Leavers’ deliberately inflammatory comments in October railed against the previously bipartisan state treaty pathway and attempted to tie it to the recent Voice vote, following the LNP, with unfounded claims and misrepresented data.

Government members have distanced themselves from and criticised Leavers’ comments, but stopped short of suggesting any consequences.

LNP Opposition Leader David Crisafulli has refused to voice an opinion other than to say he wanted to see “an end to the division” of the Voice referendum and suggesting it “would be unfair to say” his Path to Treaty backtrack paved the way for Leavers’ contribution.

The Queensland Council of Unions also distanced itself from Leavers’ comments but declined to comment further. WorkCover Queensland, on whose board Leavers is a paid member, has declined to comment.

After calls for Leavers’ resignation in an initial open letter, criticism from the First Nations advisory group and its allies has only grown louder amid a perceived lack of action by political and police leaders.

Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll has previously defended Leavers. On Wednesday, she said she had met with the group since their last letter – though would not detail discussions despite the group since saying publicly it had not had a response – and would write back “in good time”.

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