The Commission of Inquiry into Children In State Care was established in late 2004-early 2005 in response to a public petition, and immediately followed the 'lifting' of the 'Statute of Limitations' that stopped prosecution of paedophiles (a broad summation but the ultimate reality), eg, the senior police officer recently charged with raping a 9 year old in the mid nineties.
At the time of the offence he was caught but not charged, only demoted one rank...demoted...his senior officers knew what he had done...forget the Statute, forget that he wasn't even charged...he remained a police officer.
It was the day of my last chemo February 8th 2005 that I first met Comm Mullighan at his office in Adelaide. I went to the Speaker's (Peter Lewis) office at parliament, met the Child Protection people liaising with Mr Lewis, and we went uptown to see Comm Mullighan.
We discussed the St Martins Child Abuse Cover-up, the abuses committed by teacher Glyn Dorling against his 7 year old students, and the corruption of the Teachers Registration Board/Crown Solicitors Office exoneration of Dorling, etc, for nearly an hour.
I left him a heap of letters and documents, and was standing in the reception area when my companion's phone rang; it was Dorling's lawyer from the TRB/CSO hearing, Stephen Lietschke - Premier Jay Weatherill's business partner.
After a couple of minutes she put her phone on speaker; Mr Lietschke was openly discussing the TRB/CSO Dorling hearing (albeit lying) and repeatedly denigrated parents and our evidence; he went over it several times...please refer to posts re the TRB hearing, etc. Our complaints to the TRB/CSO were waved away as 'external to the hearing'.
I met Comm Mullighan two more times at the meetings in DeGaris Chambers, Wehl St, Mt Gambier. I and/or other parents met Comm Mullighan on at least five occasions in Adelaide and Mt Gambier.
Given what we have been through, what I have been through, I find that Comm Mullighan's behaviour exactly mimics that of people who clearly set out to screw us/me over...an army of fifth columns.
He met us many times, viewed the documentation, knew that what we said was the truth not some farcical or malicious contrivance of our collective distemper, promised to help us, help our children, and then turned his back on us and literally walked away.
I choose to try and believe that he acted the way he did under extreme pressure from then Premier Mike Rann, to whom Comm Mullighan 'reported' monthly. I choose to try and believe that he was trying to help us by just meeting with us, rather than deliberately targetting and deceiving us with a view to betraying us.
At least give me credit for still trying to see the good in people where my personal experience tries desperately to remove such hope.
After several meetings, seeing most of the documents, etc, C Mullighan wrote on 19 September 2005;
"I am doing what I can to assist you and the other parents at Mount Gambier to reach
a satisfactory outcome regarding the problem at St Martins."
Across a series of letters and over a year later, in a long letter on 5 October 2006 that became;
"You have never appeared to understand.....You continue to make allegations and
criticisms of all who have been concerned in the matter.....Now you are making
allegations about me....The Premier (Mike Rann) responded on (25/11/05)...The terms
of reference were not expanded but he asked me to conduct an informal investigation...
Police did not agree as the police officers would not have the protection of the legislation.
I had a long meeting with the Principal and his wife. (went to lunch at his home-NF)
...I am asked to approach the Premier to have the terms of reference expanded to
include the allegations about the School and I am in the course of doing so.
...in the interests of the other parents who have behaved with total propriety at all times,
I shall overlook what you say and do what I can to address their grievances."
Over 18 months after we first met him, and with no Inquiry of any sort anywhere in sight, he abuses me, carefully exonerates the Lutherans, SAPol, Mike Rann, etc, and then goes back to promising what he has just described being refused already by Mike Rann. He is writing that letter for an audience that are not aware of the facts...but he was.
On 17 November 2006 this letter;
"As neither the parents nor the school are prepared to be involved in an informal process
to try and resolve the issues there is simply nothing which I can do unless the terms of
reference of the Children in State Care Inquiry are expanded. Should that ever occur I
shall conduct the Inquiry appropriately and you will have the opportunity to give evidence
and make submissions.
I see no point in responding to the matters raised in your letters and I do not propose
to do so. As you well know I could have rejected your approaches once I had
established that the allegation did fall outside the terms of reference but I tried to assist
the parents. My concern for them and the children seems to have been misplaced so far
as you are concerned."
I am one of the 'ing parents.
It was the Lutherans and SAPol who refused to co-operate with an 'Informal Inquiry', not parents.
It is an un-deniable reality that parents had been doing an 'Informal Inquiry' with Comm Mullighan starting February 2005, across a series of meetings and letters, etc, for nearly 2 years, only to end up with....still waiting.
And the last thing I ever heard(read) from Comm Mullighan on 13 December 2006;
"As with other letters which you have written me, it contains inaccuracies and wrong
accusations. It is also offensive and there is no purpose in your continuing to behave
in this way. Nothing which I have said to you is untrue.
You are well aware that I cannot assist you for the reasons previously given."
That's the full letter. Thankyou very much for nothing.
Just revisiting this small chapter of the voluminous waking nightmare that is the Cover-up of Abuse at St Martins, relentlessly wrenches and irretirievably shreds the last tattered remains of my ability to look at Commissioner Mullighan as being anything other than a co-conspirator in the Cover-up of the Abuse of my child and dozens of others.....that I may have mentioned.
Tomorrow: BraveHearts - St Martins Lutheran School Child Abuse Cover-up.
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