Christies Beach Bus Case
20/12/2011
“Today at Christies Beach Court all charges against the bus driver alleged to have abused children with disabilities were dropped.
“We don’t have much information on why the charges are no longer being pursued, but this event certainly provides a tragic example of what passes as justice for people with disabilities in South Australia.
“There is little doubt that the children involved in this case have been abused, and there will be no punishment for this terrible crime. That is shameful.
“We must respect the pain and grief of the families who are going through this process, but I also hope we can learn from this occurrence. This is a clear indication that the justice system we have does not cater to those with disabilities.
“The Attorney-General John Rau has announced that he will draft changes to the Evidence Act to make it more inclusive of those with disabilities. I hope this event shows him that those changes should be made as soon as possible.
“I will evaluate whether the Attorney-General’s changes go far enough once I am allowed to see them. I suspect I will be proposing amendments of my own in an attempt to go further and better include people with communication disabilities.
“I also hope this tragedy is noted by other Ministers – particularly the Minister for Education and Child Development. We can use this case not only to examine the justice system, but also to look at how we might prevent the abuse of vulnerable children.
“I am a strong advocate of CCTV on all school buses, GPS tracking of buses, watertight security check policies and the provision of SSOs to accompany children when they would otherwise be in the company of a lone adult.
“I hope that our Government will see and respect the indescribable pain this case has caused the families involved, and I urge the Government to do everything in its power to stop something similar recurring.”
