Mesmerize, hypnotize and demonize,
Told your lies too many times,
kept us down so you can steal our land
– Theresa Creed
The Queensland Court of Appeal has ruled against the Public Trustee of Queensland whose racist decisions have adversely affected a young aboriginal man for the past twenty (20) years. Insane decisions by the Public Trustee have been backed up by the Queensland Civil Administration Tribunal QCAT. On the 4th of August 2023, the Court of Appeal ruled: “The applicant’s application for compensation be remitted to QCAT for rehearing.” After the aboriginal man received a compensation payment after a car accident, the public trustee sold his unit and a bush block that was bought for the young man. He ended up being homeless. The public trustee did not consult the young man support group. The public trustee failed to take into account cultural business in the young man’s Aboriginal family.
After all these years, who’s to say QCAT will do anything?
For me, at least, this victory is bitter sweet. (1) It took the mother and her partner 20 years to obtain a favourable decision. (2) Last week, Rosslyn, one of the mainstays of the ‘expose the public trustee committee’ died suddenly after an asthma attack at work. (3) Ross Taylor died alone, abducted and denied justice by the public trustee and the system that backs it.
The young man’s mother and her partner have tried to obtain justice since the public trustee took over the financial affairs of her son. This is what the mother had to say about how she felt about the struggle:
The Public Trustee will do all kinds of things to your brain, to your head
They’ll drive you crazy
Mesmerize, hypnotize and demonize,
Told your lies too many times,
kept us down so you can steal our land
it’s a long road
can’t let us be to see what I want to be
You don’t apologize
Want to see my pain
drive me insane so you can close your eyes
Taken out the good in me so you can watch me plea,
the little chance of hope you quickly steal
If you can’t have it no one can,
what things I’ve you want to claim
You even want my name.
And here is what the court of appeal in the Supreme Court of Queensland had to say about the public trustee and the Queensland civil administration tribunal:
Ian Curr
5 August 2023