Usual Police harassment

NT Police woke me this morning (20 Nov) with a summonses to attend Scott's trial as a witness. This followed my lodging an amended appeal yesterday.

Such tit for tat harassment by Police is a common ploy in the Northern territory.

We were not called as witnesses at Scott's last appearance although summonsed to appear.

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Amended appeal

I've not bothered with this case until recently, as other concerns and commitments have been absorbing my attention. I assure you, having to become a Constitutional lawyer in four days, really is the least of my problems :-)

Besides which, prison (facing four months) is an ongoing threat to any effective activist in a corrupt Police State. We've been facing prison sentences since PARIAH began in 1998.

So I only lodged this ammended appeal yesterday (19 November, 2003). The hearing begins on the 24th November.

Essentially the Legislative Assembly and the Magistrates Court are in constitutional conflict - - and the latter have no right to treat Constitutional matters in a manner akin to a traffic fine. The other points are fairly self-evident.

The absurdity of the 'traffic fine' scenario was apparent to me in the Magistrates Court, but frankly given the Police Harassment, hostile media and the comments by the Attorney General, Peter Toyne, it seemed best to go through with the charade and appeal when the political environment was a little less biased against us. A jury trial would have been a suicide-circus in that period, when we were still receiving fresh Police charges (up to 30 at a time) and dealing with myriad other charges. I still have 'assault' and 'hinder police' to face in January.

NT Chief Minister Clare Martin has not helped this appeal by congratulating the Court on their bid to incarcerate political activists.

Clare - "While I am on my feet, I say very categorically that I welcome the very decisive sentencing that happened to those members of NAP who invaded this parliament the May before last."

"It is a very serious offence to invade parliament, and I welcome the very strong decision from the Magistrates Court." - (Hansard Question Transcript - 18/06/2003)

http://notes.nt.gov.au/lant/hansard/hansard9.nsf/0/233666E4E16147CB69256D9D0022E458?opendocument

Where was Clare's outrage when Police "unlawfully" (NT Ombudsman's decision) assaulted and strip searched activists at the first Smoke-in?

Racist and corrupt

During the court case, I described the Northern Territory as a "racist and corrupt cesspool".

The lies (perjury?) from Attorney General Peter Toyne, the 'three monkeys' performance by former (sacked) Police Minister Syd Sterling and Clare Martin's double act with the Prosecutor later, made me feel guilty of understatement.

As for Marion Scrymgour, Chairperson of the NT Labor government's substance abuse committee, I'm still coming to terms with that disappointing betrayal of trust.

The Chief Minister and John Ah Kit have both made public statements that lend credibility to my assessment of the Northern Territory.

From Clare we learn that the Public service is corrupt.

From Community Development Minister John Ah Kit we discover "...it (is) time for indigenous communities to stop turning a blind eye to the rot that lies within many of their organisations.

"Good governance is something in very short supply," Mr Ah Kit said.

"We all know of instances of indigenous organisations being run as personal or family empires at the expense of the wider community.

"We all know the stories of fraud and corruption -- of stores being ripped off by managers who all too often have bribed key Aboriginal locals to consolidate their thievery and skulduggery.

"There is no point in pretending that this has not been widespread for many, many years."

Also attending was ATSIC NT Commissioner Kim Hill who was scathing in his criticisms of the current governance arrangements for indigenous Australians.

He said the failure of indigenous people to obtain good governance was because they were the victims of a system with "too much bureaucracy". (NT News, 09 nov '03)

And a corrupt bureaucracy as Clare points out.

John Ah Kit's ability to remain morally unscathed as he transcended the generic corruption he describes, is made heroic, by it's sheer implausibility.

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It seems the only people who face criminal charges in this racist and corrupt police state are the people protesting against racism and corruption.

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