CITATION: Barry Gomersall

Barry’s role as Queensland’s choice as referee in the early State of Origin games is well known. His approach towards any fighting on the field of play, whereby he left the fight to the players to resolve and allowed the game to continue, made him famous in his sport.

Less well known are Barry’s efforts to address the abuse of children in Queensland and his personal campaign to have justice authorities meet their responsibilities in investigating alleged rape and physical abuse of children in State care.

For his efforts in this regard, Barry was recently awarded, posthumously, the 2006 Whistleblower Supporter of the Year by the Whistleblowers Action Group.

Of special note in the Award’s citation was Barry’s action in 2004 to petition the Queensland Parliament for a special prosecutor to investigate the alleged abuse and rape of children at the John Oxley Youth Detention Centre, and to investigate the destruction by government authorities of documentation on the events at that institution that were collected by Magistrate Heiner.

While footballers could look after themselves in a rugby league match, in Barry’s view, and he could let the game continue, that was not the case for Barry when it came to the protection of children.

Barry insisted on the justice authorities in Queensland doing their job, and bringing the offenders to account.

This is exactly what the Prime Minister is claiming should be happening in aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory

The integrity of the processes whereby abuse of children in State care has been apparently ignored by justice authorities in Queensland has been compared to the integrity of a rugby league scrum – the ball goes round the leg of the prop instead of into the tunnel, and the referee signals ‘Play on'!

International symposia and publications have parodied the performance of the Crime & Misconduct Commission in Queensland for seeing no misconduct in the alleged abuse that occurred at the John Oxley Youth Detention Centre

The petition from the Grasshopper Barry Gomersall read in part:

The law must be upheld honestly and impartially, particularly the Criminal Code (Qld) which underpins the administration of justice regarding (a) destruction of evidence; and (b) obstruction of justice in regard to possible improper interference with the administration of justice and covering up known abuse of children in a State-run institution and, therefore, request that the House take all steps to ensure the appointment of an independent Special Prosecutor with sufficiently wide terms of reference, time and resources to investigate all matters involving the Heiner Affair/Shreddergate and lay charges where sufficient evidence exists so that justice may be done to all and public confidence restored in the administration of justice so that all Queensland citizens are treated equally before the law.

‘The matters in Barry’s petition are still unfinished business in Queensland. This is because justice authorities have failed to apply the law, it is alleged, something that Barry’s petition to the Queensland Parliament tried to change’.

Barry’s call for justice to be done and confidence to be restored are words that the Prime Minister might well repeat in his efforts for the Northern Territory. Why can not the Prime Minister’s concern be extended into Queensland, and from the bush towns to our capital city, and from just the aboriginal community to us all.

Queensland State of Origin centre, Peter Jackson, a team mate of Mal Meninga, showed us that even the State of Origin history carries with it the scars of child abuse.

Barry ‘the Grasshopper’ Gomersall has been recognized for the open support he gave, while a public servant, to the calls for an inquiry into the destruction of evidence of child abuse at the John Oxley Youth Detention Centre.

Barry’s electronic petition to the State Parliament over the destruction of the Heiner documents was a boost to efforts to have this injustice addressed.

His request to meet and shake the hands of whistleblowers disclosing child abuse in public and church institutions will always be remembered by those whistleblowers under attack for their heroic disclosures.

Barry’s support has been a much appreciated adjunct to the fund-raising support that he gave to Variety and other charities in their efforts to help children.