Indigenous leaders hit back against controversial comments from police union President

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Queensland Government ministers and Indigenous leaders have condemned comments by the president of Queensland's Police Union on treaty and truth telling, accusing him of peddling false stereotypes.

Transcript

00:00 Ian Leavers calls himself a straight shooter.

00:05 I'm pointing out what people are thinking.

00:07 In his sites, the state's path to treaty,

00:10 criticising it in an opinion piece as virtue-signalling woke nonsense

00:14 that would lead to changes to the justice system to favour First Nations people.

00:18 He says he speaks for frontline officers.

00:21 They are dealing with these issues each and every day.

00:24 Not like the latte sippers in inner Brisbane

00:27 who've never been to communities and see the violence and the mayhem.

00:31 The return fire was swift.

00:33 He's a public person who represents police in this state

00:38 through their union making these outrageous comments.

00:41 The state's treaty minister accusing Mr Leavers

00:44 of peddling false stereotypes using factually incorrect information.

00:48 I've been contacted by Indigenous leaders within communities in Queensland

00:52 who have said thank you, thank you for telling it how it is.

00:55 But wouldn't name names.

00:57 I'm not going to give up people who talk to me.

01:00 He says he wants money spent in communities

01:02 rather than on the state's truth and treaty process.

01:05 But other Indigenous leaders have hit back.

01:08 It's not a surprise that the police union are trying to kick Aboriginal

01:11 and Torres Strait Islanders while we're down.

01:13 I thought, jeez, we haven't learned anything from the Fitzgerald days.

01:16 Here are the police interfering through their union

01:19 on something that is so remote from what they do,

01:24 negotiating a treaty and truth telling.

01:28 Mr Leavers' comments come at a particularly sensitive time

01:31 for a state that overwhelmingly rejected the voice referendum.

01:35 Many Indigenous communities are still grappling with the outcome.

01:39 In a statement, a spokesman for the Queensland Police Service

01:42 said the organisation was committed to reconciliation

01:45 and is involved in path to treaty.

01:48 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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