Latest Morrison Jazz Academy Sexual Assault Issue

Howdy dear availees in Poland, Vietnam, Croatia, and Ireland, and right here in Mt Gambier, South Australia...I've tried to keep an ear and/or eye on the local media regarding this latest Sexual Assault Issue, but I have not heard or seen anything...I've deliberately left it a full week to see if the Mt Gambier/SA media were just catching-up to the report/article from The Age, dated 1st November 2019...(it's been on former Mt Gambier City Councillor Josh Lynagh's news-page thingy, Limestone Coast Community News-Ed)...yeah, but that's not 'The Media' is it?...(well we here at TMGI, we consider ourselves to be a form of media outlet, if not specifically 'The Media'-Ed)...fair call mate...(but we here at TMGI do carefully research our material, and in many instances are the creator and even subject of 'The News' we report, we're not just regurgitating other's material-Ed)...again, fair enough, but look, it's clearly a matter of opinion and isn't particularly relevant to the broader issues here, let's stick to the 'Main Stream Media' and how they've addressed this...(sure, but can I just say, in bigging-up this 'ere blog, and also by way of example, where else, in any of 'The Media' anywhere in Oz but particularly here in SA, where will you read that the SA ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption) has conducted, or at least pretended to conduct an investigation into an entire Council, namely MGCC? where will y'all read about that?-Ed)...great point Ed, and one well worth re-noting...

It was here on TMGI, and only here, that dear availees and the broader public were made aware that SA's Insidious Commissioner Assisting Corruption had supposedly 'investigated' multiple Corruption issues within the MGCC...it was also li'l ol' moi who proved in Court, whilst being prosecuted for daring to even discuss that alleged ICAC investigation, it were muggins here what proved that that alleged ICAC investigation was in fact a farcically fraudulent fake investigation involving 2 unrecorded chats and no actual hearings, etc, etc...(that's right, we've covered this extensively here on TMGI, and even though it was repeatedly discussed in Court, and the wholesale fakery and deceits of ICAC, etc, were proven, none of that was ever reported-Ed)...indeed, even after I handed copies of MGCC's own Minutes from 22nd May 2014, which specifically identifies that they have been investigated and exonerated by ICAC, even after I provided that stuff to the Adelaide media as they milled-about outside MP Troy Bell's Pre-Trial hearing, it never appeared in the Adelaide media, or anywhere else for that matter...so there's the 2 extremely critical issues that have only been covered here at TMGI and nowhere else, 1) the ICAC investigation of MGCC, and 2) how fraudulent that alleged ICAC investigation actually was...

But we digress dear availees, because whilst it reeks of the same self-serving agenda, what's been happening with the rank failure of reportage regarding the Morrison Jazz Academy and what has become multiple Sexual Assault Issues, this stuff is arguably more important...MGCC relentlessly defrauding Ratepayers and that definable corruption being protected by an equally corrupt ICAC, it's all very concerning, but the Rape of students is something altogether worse...(not to mention the Morrison Academy's appalling handling of these issues-Ed)...indeed, and I ain't being overly-dramatic when I say that the entire situation washes over me with a sense of cold dread, because I find it fundamentally irrational and inconceivable to think that these are the only Sexual Assault issues that have occurred relative to The James Morrison Academy and/or the associated Generations In Jazz...(well, at the very least, the deplorable JMA/GIJ response to these 2 known situations are indicative of a culture of denial and/or deceit and self-interest-Ed)...indeed, as I've covered before on TMGI, I feel a sense of failure and guilt for not pursuing the 'first' Sexual Assault issue even though I knew full-well that the official denials from Tennyson Woods College and SAPol were clear proof enough that something had actually happened...

And now there's another Sexual Assault issue, and I'll let y'all dear availees peruse this article/report and form your own opinions about this issue and how it's being handled, etc, before I regale y'all with my concerns...so here 'tis, The Age, 1 November 2019...***       

Court allows jazz musician accused of raping student to join tour with James Morrison

By Tom Cowie

November 1, 2019 — 11.30pm

A jazz musician charged with raping a fellow student of a prestigious music academy run by James Morrison had his bail adjusted so he could tour with the famous trumpeter in Melbourne.
American saxophonist Matthew Harkins, 26, is due to face trial in South Australia next year having pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape after he allegedly assaulted a woman while they both attended the James Morrison Academy in Mount Gambier.
Harkins, who is not allowed to leave South Australia, applied to the District Court for special permission to travel to Melbourne two weeks ago.
His application was successful and on October 19 he performed on stage with the academy’s orchestra and Morrison at the Jazz Lab in Brunswick.

Matthew Harkins (right) with Australian jazz musician James Morrison in 2016.Credit:Instagram

His alleged victim now lives in Melbourne and was not informed by the police or court that Harkins would be travelling to Victoria.
A photo posted on social media by Morrison shows Harkins playing saxophone alongside him during the gig, which was recorded live with plans to release it as an album.
Harkins, originally from Maine in the United States, pleaded not guilty to the charges at an arraignment hearing in Mount Gambier on October 15.
On the same day, he signed an adjusted bail agreement giving him permission to travel to Victoria between October 18 and 19. His residence during the trip was listed as the YHA hostel in North Melbourne.
Harkins was instructed to report to Mount Gambier police station 24 hours after his return.

The application to vary Harkins’ bail was not opposed by police, according to a transcript of the court proceeding.
Harkins' lawyer was contacted for comment.
Morrison said it would be inappropriate to make any comment about Harkins while he faced criminal charges.

Matthew Harkins.Credit:Facebook

"In addition, the wellbeing (and privacy) of all our students is our primary concern and I don’t feel (particularly the survivor) needs to be reading in the paper comments from me about how we looked after her," he said in an email written while on tour in Brazil.

On the academy's website, Morrison explains that one of the reasons for setting up the school in Mount Gambier was to create a community among students who don’t have the distractions of a big city.
"It’s kind of like when you go to band camp – everybody there is into the music and when you’re not actually in class, you’re still with your colleagues who are passionate about jazz," he says on the academy’s website.
"Students at the JM Academy will benefit from living in close proximity to each other and when class ends for the day, instead of all going your separate ways, they can hang out together and maintain the ‘jazz’ atmosphere."
The academy was opened in 2015 with the help of $500,000 grant from the South Australian state government. It is affiliated with the University of South Australia, which enrols the students. Morrison is the head of school and his wife, Judi, is the executive director.
In 2017, the academy pledged to identify ways to prevent and respond to sexual harassment and sexual assault after separate allegations were raised against a staff member.

"The academy has policies dealing with sexual assault and sexual harassment that have been approved by UniSA," Morrison said.
As of next year, the academy will no longer accept enrolments for its three-year bachelor of music. One-year diploma and honours courses will still be offered. Morrison said this was due to a change in federal funding arrangements.
A University of South Australia spokesperson said it would be inappropriate to comment on the matter while it was before the courts.
"The University of South Australia takes the safety and wellbeing of every one of its students and staff very seriously and has comprehensive policies and support services in relation to this," the spokesperson said.
A trial has been set for March 23, 2020.

***...(but hang on, that says that it was in the Mt Gambier Court aways back in, ummm, here, "an arraignment hearing in Mt Gambier on October 15"...why wasn't it reported then?-Ed)...dunno' mate, but I remind you of my "bizarre trial" process and the litany of incidents and/or issues that the local media couldn't see and/or didn't want to see and/or reported in grossly biased and skewed manner so as to denigrate and/or demonise me...(mmm, yes, particularly the extraordinarily and quite deliberately corrupted 'reporting' of the Mt Gambier ABC South East Radio-Ed)...indeed, and in a context where the ABC SER and The Border Watch were SAPol (police) Prosecution witnesses against me, and 2 of the 18 'Counts' I've been 'Convicted' of are 'talking to the ABC SER and TBW', and despite repeated local reportage, the Adelaide media apparently couldn't see/hear it...but again we digress, other than to note that I have to get specific written permission to attend medical appointments just across the border, eg, Portland Hospital, yet this guy gets an overnight stay in Melbourne...(and only days after being sent to trial-Ed)...who else was exposed to this alleged Rapist during this trip? was the YHA hostel informed of his charges/bail? to what degree were other JMA students involved and/or staying at that same hostel? what measures have JMA implemented to ensure the safety of other students here?..

I have spent 20-30 minutes Interweb searching multiple terms and trying to get more info about this, eg, accessing the Magistrates Court Case List from that date, etc, but I ain't got squat...(apart from LCCN and The Age-Ed)...yeah, apart from that stuff...some of what I've gleaned has come from 'Comments' on LCCN, eg, that this concert was not an absolute educational requisite, but rather Morrison's choice to include Harkins...I cannot vouch for these 'Comments', I can only suggest y'all check them out for y'allselves...(sorry, did I read that right? does that say that they've recorded that 'session' and are going to release it as an album?-Ed)...that's what it says...(but how is that appropriate? what does that say about Morrison's attitude that he would firstly go ahead with this person in his concert, on bail only days after being committed to trial, but to then record it with plans to release an album-Ed)...not to mention the social media snapshots of James and Harkin from that concert...it makes a mocking hypocrisy of Morrison's refusal to comment... 

     "Morrison said it would be inappropriate to make any comment about Harkins while

       he faced criminal charges."

...Morrison's behaviour is unambiguous support for Harkins...(I wonder how "the survivor" feels to be reading that Harkin is being supported by Morrison in this way?-Ed)...and particularly given that they were in Melbourne, her home town, without telling her...(and his 'non-comment' about "how we have looked after her" is actually a direct statement that he/JMA have acted appropriately and with her best interests and welfare in mind-Ed)...I hadn't spotted that mate, but now that you mention it, that's exactly what it is, he's saying exactly that isn't he, 'we've looked after her'...  

I also note the statements about the drastic reduction in offered courses, namely, the removal of the 3-year Bachelor of Music...this is a major issue...all due respect to those studying their "one year diploma and honours courses", but it is a huge step-down, particularly following-on as it does from recent revelations that the JMA student numbers have plateaued at approx 70, rather than the predicted 200...(and funded for-Ed)...sorry?...(JMA received all that lovely state government funding, at least $500,000, with the proviso that they increase enrolments year-by-year, up to 200 students-Ed)...indeed, we did cover that recently didn't we?...(indeed we did, well, we directed dear availees to the articles on the Independent Australian website-Ed)...which I believe you've just done again...(hey, I have haven't I?-Ed)...what are you like, heh?...(and Morrison was on the ABC SER playing-down this lack of enrolments as being a deliberate construct that he/JMA had decided was in the best interests of students who therefore receive better/increased access to lecturers, etc-Ed)... he did say that, didn't he...

Every word that James Morrison bleats about how important it is to him the welfare of his students, etc, to me it's all just cynical deceit mired in self-interest...at best, these children are a commodity to James and his business associates and/or his mates, these kids are a product to be traded and profited from...and I've got one very simple template that I apply to James and his alleged concerns for his students and 'the survivors'...and we've covered this quite specifically on TMGI when these issues arose, namely, the attendance and direct involvement of former JMA lecturer Graham Lyall at recent JMA concerts...

Why has James Morrison repeatedly allowed Graham Lyall access to JMA students after he (Lyall) raped a student? 

And if anyone has a problem with the language I've used there, I encourage you to go to the New Matilda website, search 'Lyall Jazz', and read for y'allselves where Lyall himself effectively acknowledges the rape/assault, and then actually complains about how negatively his own actions have affected him...(sweet baby cheeses!-Ed)..very politely put Ed...furthermore, I defer to the student's own statements about that Sexual Assault where-in she used the word "Rape", as reported in the Sydney Morning Herald, search 'My university failed me'...and I quote, 

     "Here's what the University of Adelaide's response to my rape cost me."

...James Morrison is fully aware of the realities of that situation and yet he continues to expose vulnerable JMA students to this dangerous man...

And before anyone goes-off half-cocked about how that Lyall Rape wasn't actually at the JMA, or at Adelaide Uni, etc, that it occurred at Tennyson Woods College when they had their own version of a Jazz Academy, that then became the James Morrison Academy, etc, etc, I am fully aware of all of that, and it is only time lines and changes of programs and/or providers, etc, that are different, the people directly involved are the same few people...furthermore, as I understand it, the student raped by Lyall was approached at Generations In Jazz and recruited to the TWJA...and given James Morrison's specific involvement with the Lyall Rape issue, and recent conduct in knowingly exposing his JMA students to potential harm by allowing/organising them to perform with Lyall, he, Morrison, is directly aware and directly responsible...his conduct regarding Harkins speaks for itself...

Tomorrow: Just More Institutionalised Corruption

(Yay-Ed)...I know, but what can I say, it's all happening right there, it's not like one even has to look real hard to find it...(fair enough-Ed)...

And what really angers me about James Morrison's appallingly insensitive and inappropriate handling of this latest Sexual Assault issue, is that it reminds me directly of the Lutheran Church's bare-faced bastardry...(you'll have to be more specific-Ed)...regarding the abuses committed by "text-book grooming paedophile" teacher Glyn Dorling at St Martins school...(yeahhh?-Ed)...after 'removing' Dorling in June 2002, and knowing full-well exactly what he had been doing with those 7 year olds in his care, but then lying through their collective teeth about the reasons for that 'removal', and openly attacking myself and other parents as being the only actual problem...(indeed, all acts of rank bastardry-Ed)...well those fine upstanding Christians of St Martins Lutheran School then put Dorling's photo in the Year Book, standing next to the class he had abused en masse...(a quick Language Warning if I may?-Ed)...fire away mate...(fucking pricks! End Language Warning-Ed)...indeed, to quote Monty Python's Life of Brian, crucifixion's too good for 'em sir...(nail 'em up I say, nail some sense into 'em!-Ed)...indeed, many a true word spoken in jest, and in a context where 'The Law' has done nothing but protect Dorling and the Lutherans...may they all rot... 

I am Nick Fletcher and I am indeed a very angry li'l camper, but I try not to dwell there, albeit whilst remaining always quite intense...(ah, nice one man, it's always healthy to find one's humour in one's fury-Ed)...and that's where this 'ere blog of mine, sorry, ours, that's where TMGI can be so therapeutic, 'cos it lets the angry out and occasionally brings in the laughter...cheers and laters dear availees...