The chair of Queensland’s truth-telling and healing inquiry says the new premier, David Crisafulli, should “just have the decency to front up” to First Nations people, after delivering an edict via the media for the inquiry to immediately cease its work.
Joshua Creamer, a Waanyi and Kalkadoon man, told reporters on Friday he had still received no communication from Crisafulli or any member of the new LNP government.
He said he learned of the premier’s decree – that the inquiry should cease its work – secondhand, after Crisafulli had made the comments at a press conference.
Creamer said the move would be a “significant step back” for reconciliation efforts and that the premier’s actions had been “hugely disrespectful” to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
“The way it’s come about in the last 24 hours is hugely disappointing, but also the fact that they haven’t had the gall to actually call and let us know,” Creamer said.
He said ending the inquiry would cause “a significant amount of devastation” across Queensland’s Indigenous community.
“There is a lot of suffering, a lot of pain, a lot of hurt in relation to this decision”, he said.
“To cease that in the very early stages of our work is a significant step back on the road to reconciliation for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
“I am really genuinely concerned about the trauma of this decision.”
The LNP had promised, prior to the election campaign, to end the state’s “path to treaty process”. The inquiry was a first part of that process.
Crisafulli said this week he would seek to end the inquiry with “respect and decency”.
But Creamer said on Friday the process had been “hugely disrespectful”. Work had been under way in the Indigenous community of Cherbourg to work with about 40 witnesses, who were preparing to share their experiences with the inquiry.
Creamer said he and inquiry staff had been checking yesterday – including right up until he held his press conference – but they had had no contact from the government.
“I appreciate the premier has said that his actions will be decent and respectful, but leading up to the [press conference on Thursday] there was no contact between the premier and my office or myself,” he said.
“During the election campaign from the now government there was only one announcement in relation to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander portfolio, and that was to end the inquiry.
“To have to stop this process is going to cause … a real impact on those people emotionally.”
Creamer said it was unprecedented for a government to demand the shutdown of an independent inquiry. He said he had sought legal advice and subsequently asked for work to cease.
Those concerns were echoed on Friday by social service organisations, the Australian Human Rights Commission, and mayors of First Nations communities.
A joint statement from the communities of Stradbroke, Cherbourg and Doomadgee called on Crisafulli to support the inquiry.
“The decision represents a significant step backwards for the government on First Nations justice issues, dismissing the urgent calls from our communities for meaningful truth-telling and healing,” they said.
“If the inquiry is pulled completely, the implications of this decision will reverberate for generations.”
Asked about the inquiry immediately after his new cabinet was sworn in on Friday, Crisafulli confirmed he hadn’t spoken to Creamer. He said the government would seek to improve home ownership among Indigenous Queenslanders.
“We’ve put our position across. I was upfront. I came and spoke to you all, and I’ve never sought to use inflammatory language at all,” Crisafulli said.
“I understand that some people will be disappointed that we are stopping that process.
“Others will find it refreshing that the people behind me will be held accountable for doing good for First Nations Australians”.
Mick Gooda, a veteran Aboriginal public servant, said First Nations Queenslanders “overwhelmingly” wanted the legislation to remain, and the inquiry to continue.
Gooda said repealing the legislation would show the government simply doesn’t care about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
“The first thing they’re going to do is destroy something that’s giving more power to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,” he said.
“And then [Crisafulli] has the audacity to say ‘we want to do it with respect’.
“He hasn’t shown any respect by engaging with Aboriginal people. You know, again, it’s a bunch of non-Aboriginal people making decisions for us. We argue we’ve got a right to participate in decisions that affect us.”
Creamer, when asked if he had a message for the premier, said: “Firstly I’d say, just have the decency to front up.
“We really need to understand what the future looks like for the inquiry.”
