Ex-archivist believes Mason Jet Lee tragedy exposed failures in government’s record keeping

A lack of proper record keeping by the Palaszczuk government was exposed by the death of Mason Jet Lee, the former state archivist claims.

A lack of proper record keeping by the Palaszczuk government contributed to the death of Mason Jet Lee, the tragic toddler brutally killed by his ice-addicted stepfather.

This is the view of former State Archivist Mike Summerell, who has turned a blowtorch on integrity failings and cover-ups by a “toxic” Labor government addicted to spin.

Summerell is right. Jane Bentley, coroner in the Lee case, said so too.

Summerell said the death of the 22-month-old Lee affected him deeply.

Mason Jet Lee.

Summerell told me he examined the Mason Jet Lee case and concluded that “associated deficiencies in the public records” contributed to his death.

“It was an event that deeply upset staff at Queensland State Archives as we felt our inability to address our challenges was a contributory factor,” he said.

“It felt a very personal failure to us.’’

“The Coroners Court of Queensland in June 2020 found numerous incidents involving poor recordkeeping by the Department of Child Safety, Youth and Women, and a failure to adhere to department policies and procedures for managing information, which had contributed to the eventual death of Mason Jet Lee.’’

Mystery remains as to why reports were hidden, and why the child was not rescued from the house of horrors where he died, despite written warnings he was in danger.

Summerell said the tragedy “re-energised us to address our challenges anew’’.

However, he left the archivist’s role regretting the “the issues remained unchanged’’.

“Sadly, the potential for another tragedy of this sort remains,” he said.

Reforms had to be a priority, he said. “We failed Mason Jet Lee (so) please let’s try and make him the last.

“If enhanced record-keeping can help do it, let’s do it immediately.”

Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman, who was hardly a success as child safety minister and quickly changed portfolios after Lee’s death, could redeem herself by guiding reforms.

Many questions remain unanswered despite separate investigations by the Queensland Children’s Hospital, Department of Child Safety, Queensland Health’s Ethical Standards Unit, the Queensland Child Death Case Review Panel, the Queensland Family and Child Commission and the Office of the State Coroner.

Lee’s mother and stepfather were jailed.

A question remains: Why are vulnerable children left with drug-addled people with violent and unsavoury backgrounds?

Former child safety minister and now Queensland Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

Summerell’s comments on the Mason Jet Lee case came out of left field but they bring into sharp focus the reason why accurate records must be kept.

He explained why. “Public records form the cornerstone of government accountability. Good records support effective business practice and improve government accountability and efficiency.”

Records are also the “unique evidence” that give insights into how and why governments make decisions at times.

He added, “Records are central to the government’s ability to efficiently and effectively provide goods and services, protect the community and demonstrate delivery (of) commitments.

“Successful open government relies on sound record-keeping practices to support public accountability and transparency.

“Under the Act, Queensland public authorities are required to manage public records responsibly to ensure that information is complete, reliable, accessible, and usable for as long as they are needed.” How many times a week is that rule broken in Queensland?

Former state archivist Mike Summerell.

MULTIPLE BREACHES FOUND

Ousted state archivist Mike Summerell found “multiple breaches” of the Public Records Act when he began investigating shortcomings in official reports in 2017.

“There were at least 16 investigations and we found multiple breaches,“ he told me. ” They resulted in absolutely no prosecutions or censures.”

He found serious flaws in 82 of 202 reports tabled in Parliament between 2013 and 2020.

The flaws ranged from ineffective record-keeping practices all the way to falsified or fabricated records.

Summerell said breaches were even found in reports delivered by watchdog bodies like the Crime and Corruption Commission, the Office of the Information Commissioner, the Queensland Ombudsman, and the Queensland Audit Office. The flaws impacted 42 Acts of Parliament.