‘160 years of failure’: Dark history acknowledged at Truth-telling inquiry

Seven Queensland government departments admitted to 160 years of failure in the delivery of service and interactions with First Nations people with the focus now on how to move forward.

Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski. Photo: Steve Pohlner

Seven Queensland government departments admitted to 160 years of failure in the delivery of service and interactions with First Nations people at the final day of a Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry.

On the fifth and final day of hearings at South Bank in Brisbane the departments and their Director-Generals provided a submission to the inquiry in which the dark history of colonisation in Queensland was acknowledged.

This included the Department of Treaty, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Communities and the Arts, Department of Resources, Queensland Police Service, Department of Justice and Attorney-General, Department of Premier and Cabinet, Queensland Health and Department of Child Safety, Seniors and Disability Services.

“The seven representatives there today, were really admitting to 160 years of failure in terms of their delivery of service and interaction with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community,” Inquiry Chair Joshua Creamer said.

“There wasn’t a lot of discussion about (the current barriers) today, other than admission that there are barriers, and there are steps being made to try and address those.

“But we need to focus on what is actually happening on a day-to-day basis to families and communities that need to be addressed.”

Queensland Director General of the Department of Premier and Cabinet Mike Kaiser.

Within the submissions and in relation to the inquiry’s terms of reference each department detailed the historical relevance, overview of current strategies, historical documents and data, as well as actions allocated to the department relating to recommendations made by previous inquiries and commissions.

These submissions will essentially open the floodgates for the inquiry to access each departments records in order to paint a bigger picture into Queensland’s history.

Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said it was critical to work collaboratively across the agencies and looking at a systems approach.

“For us as an agency, we’re one of a few that have been around right since the start of Queensland and been right at the core phase of interaction between the state and our First Nations people – so, we know that some of our history is pretty checkered,” Commissioner Gollschewski said.

This “checkered history” includes the harmful role of the Queensland Native Police as a major instrument of colonial authority and the massacre of thousands of Indigenous people.

“It’s pretty confronting some of the stuff that went on. But what I think is really confronting for us too, is to remember that they (Native Police) were acting out policies that were set by the government of the day who believed, for whatever reason, that they were doing something that was in the interest of the state.”

When asked by media after the hearing if the actions of the Native Police could be described as genocidal, Commissioner Gollschewski said, “one could use that term”.

“We know that some of the history of Queensland policing will be pivotal to what the inquiry is about.

“What we’re really focused on is where we go from here. What the future look like, and how can we really improve our relationships right across the state with our First Nations people and support them better to be safe as well.”

Director-General for the Department of Premier and Cabinet Mike Kaiser said success in regards to better outcomes for Indigenous people would need to be about mindset.

“I am of the view that we can’t really get to closing the gap and addressing those issues of historical and persistent social and economic disadvantage unless we really start with mindset and culture,” Mr Kaiser said.