Rita Panahi: Victoria is in a catastrophic State of Disaster but Daniel Andrews refuses to budge
NSW had a premier resign over an undeclared bottle of wine, but in Victoria a leader who has overseen the most disastrous set of decisions — with catastrophic economic, social and health consequences — is in no danger of being replaced, writes Rita Panahi.
Rita Panahi
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What a twisted state we live in where criminals don’t fear the police but law-abiding citizens do.
And where the Premier can be caught out fibbing, repeatedly, about the greatest public policy disaster in Victorian history and not step down in disgrace.
Victoria Police command must understand that heavy-handed tactics and selective application of the law will only risk alienating decent folk who are normally pro-law enforcement.
Put aside the dramatic footage of a screaming woman being pulled from her car, a pregnant woman being handcuffed in front of her children or dozens of officers circling small groups of protesters, what is far more damaging for the force are the stories of everyday Victorians who have done absolutely nothing wrong being harassed by overzealous officers.
Elderly people and heavily pregnant women sitting on park benches should not feel intimidated by officers who are meant to serve and protect. Nor should kids riding their bikes without a mask, or a Melbourne University law professor stopping to sip a takeaway coffee.
Prof Katy Barnett felt “afraid” after her interaction with police and feared that challenging them would see her mother, who was walking with her, saddled with a $1652 fine.
If a law professor from our most prestigious university feels scared of arguing back against absurd police overreach, then one can imagine how the average citizen feels.
Prof Barnett told the Herald Sun: “This kind of enforcement breeds disrespect for the law and brings it into disrepute, because the enforcement is not in accordance with the purpose, and does not take into account that people have other medical and compassionate needs”.
One would hope that the majority of officers would not hector a 38-week pregnant woman having a break during her daily walk or elderly women enjoying a few minutes of sunshine to break up virtual house arrest, but sadly footage of such interactions is all too common.
Some officers, I’m sure a minority, seem to be relishing their extra powers, instead of de-escalating confrontations they are exerting the full force of the law with low-risk targets. It’s much easier arresting grannies than BLM protesters who police command feared would become violent if challenged.
The conduct we’ve seen in recent weeks, including the bizarre scenes of the Public Order Response Team at Queen Victoria Market on Sunday are at best questionable and at worst recklessly dangerous.
The decision to advance on anti-lockdown protesters and shoppers alike was fraught with danger and needlessly escalated a situation that could’ve ended in innocent bystanders being seriously hurt.
On the same day that officers in full riot gear descended on the fruit and veg aisles, another team in Epping were caught on camera using excessive force to arrest a man who was suffering a mental health episode and had earlier left the Northern Hospital.
Perhaps if Timothy Atkins identified as Indigenous, footage of his violent arrest, including being hit by a police car, kicked twice and then having his head stomped on, would lead to marches in the streets but the incident didn’t even lead the nightly news service on Monday despite the father-of-three being put in an induced coma.
And when Dan Andrews was asked about Atkins being “kicked in the head” and other police incidents at his Monday press conference, his response was chilling: “I think I’m safe to make the following comment, all of this could be avoided if people don’t protest because protesting is not only selfish but also stupid”.
Atkins was not protesting and even if he were, that does not warrant the violence he suffered. Chief Commissioner Shane Patton inherited a dog’s breakfast from his predecessor and must clean up the upper echelons of VicPol.
He must bring into line the “Chief Wiggum” assistant commissioners who make a spectacle of themselves in the media and end the politicisation of what is meant to be an independent body. Patton must distance Victoria Police from the rotten culture exposed by the Lawyer X scandal.
Speaking of rotten culture, it doesn’t get much more rancid than leadership that lies with ease even during a pandemic when transparency and accountability are key.
On Tuesday the hotel quarantine inquiry released documents showing Premier Andrews repeated claims that ADF support was not offered as verifiably false.
NSW had a premier resign over an undeclared bottle of wine, but in Victoria a Premier who has overseen the most disastrous set of decisions — with catastrophic economic, social and health consequences — in the state’s history is in no danger of being replaced.
IN SHORT: Soon you’ll be able to have your poodle clipped but not your lawn even though the latter requires less human interaction. Sorry, Jim’s Mowing. Only in Clownworld, aka Melbourne, is pet grooming considered essential but maintenance and housing is not. Real estate agents are banned from conducting private inspections including of vacant properties.
Rita Panahi is a Herald Sun columnist