In a stunning move that has sent shockwaves through Queensland’s Indigenous community, the state’s newly elected premier, David Crisafulli, has demanded via media that the truth-telling and healing inquiry cease its work immediately. The chair of the inquiry, Joshua Creamer, has called the premier’s actions “hugely disrespectful”, revealing he learned of the decree secondhand and has had no direct communication from Crisafulli or anyone in the new LNP government.
Creamer, a respected Waanyi and Kalkadoon leader, expressed deep concern over the impact this sudden decision will have on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have been bravely sharing their stories with the inquiry. “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.”
I am really genuinely concerned about the trauma of this decision.
– Joshua Creamer, Chair of Queensland Truth-Telling Inquiry
A Disturbing Lack of Communication
What has made this situation even more distressing for Creamer and the inquiry staff is the complete absence of any direct communication from the government. Despite Crisafulli’s public promise to end the inquiry with “respect and decency”, Creamer revealed that right up until his own press conference, there had been no contact whatsoever from the premier’s office.
“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,” Creamer said. This lack of basic courtesy has left many in the Indigenous community feeling blindsided and betrayed.
To have to stop this process is going to cause … a real impact on those people emotionally.
– Joshua Creamer
Unprecedented Move Sparks Outrage
The decision to halt the truth-telling inquiry has been met with widespread condemnation from Indigenous leaders, social service organizations, and human rights advocates. Many have pointed out the unprecedented nature of a government demanding the shutdown of an independent inquiry in such a manner.
Mick Gooda, a respected Aboriginal elder and veteran public servant, said the move shows the new government simply doesn’t care about First Nations 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.
– Mick Gooda, Aboriginal elder and public servant
Communities Unite in Opposition
Indigenous communities across Queensland are standing together in their opposition to the government’s move. In a powerful joint statement, the communities of Stradbroke, Cherbourg and Doomadgee called on Crisafulli to support the continuation of 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. If the inquiry is pulled completely, the implications of this decision will reverberate for generations.
– Joint statement from Stradbroke, Cherbourg and Doomadgee communities
The statement underscores the long-term damage that abandoning the truth-telling process will inflict on Indigenous people, who have placed their trust and hopes in the inquiry as a crucial step towards reconciliation and justice.
Premier Crisafulli Remains Evasive
When pressed about the inquiry immediately after his new cabinet was sworn in, Premier Crisafulli confirmed he still hadn’t spoken directly to Creamer. Instead, he vaguely mentioned plans to improve home ownership among Indigenous Queenslanders, sidestepping the urgent concerns raised by the inquiry chair and First Nations leaders.
“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.”
This response has done little to reassure those who see the inquiry as a vital avenue for truth, healing, and long-overdue justice. Creamer, in a direct appeal to 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.”
A Looming Crisis for Reconciliation
As Queensland’s Indigenous community reels from this sudden and unexpected blow, many are questioning what this means for the future of reconciliation in the state. The truth-telling inquiry was seen as a groundbreaking opportunity to finally acknowledge and address the deep wounds inflicted by centuries of dispossession, discrimination, and injustice.
Now, with its work abruptly halted and its chair left in the dark, the inquiry’s potential to bring about meaningful change hangs in the balance. The heartbreak and anger emanating from Indigenous leaders and communities is palpable, as they grapple with yet another government seemingly indifferent to their suffering and aspirations.
As Creamer so poignantly put it, “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.”
The coming days and weeks will be crucial in determining whether Premier Crisafulli and his government will heed the resounding calls for the inquiry to continue, or whether they will persist in their efforts to dismantle this vital process of truth-telling and healing. For the sake of Queensland’s First Nations people, and the dream of genuine reconciliation, one can only hope that compassion, wisdom, and a commitment to justice will prevail.
