03/03/2024
I’ve had to remove my story from Yesterday after Victoria Police was granted a further suppression order on media reporting on the story.
What are Victoria Police and the courts hiding from the public with this extraordinary suppression order?
According to media lawyers these orders were made in secret hearings without following established court procedure.
I’ve seen concerns amongst some communities that Victoria Police may be trying to limit exposure of their own failures, with individuals saying multiple warnings had been made. There are also very prominent political figures and prominent leaders from various organisations linked directly to these individuals/matters.
Victorians have a right to be informed on potential crimes and patterns of behaviour that may put their safety at risk. The secrecy around this is unacceptable without even a basic explanation for the reason from the police/courts.
“Top media lawyer Justin Quill, from major law firm, Thomson Geer, said it was appalling to keep the public in the dark about such serious alleged crimes.
“Perhaps the worst part of this suppression order was that it was effectively heard in secret in that no notice was given to the media even though that is required by the Open Courts Act.
So the Magistrate was unfortunately deprived of an opportunity to hear submissions from the media and as a result, the public’s right to know and the principles of open justice don’t appear to have been given enough weight”
