Our campaign to prosecute the Victorian government and responsible individuals over the 801 Hotel Quarantine deaths in 2021 is about the application of the rule of law. But there is another case we’re following that goes to the heart of who we are as a nation. That is, are we willing to tolerate naked government corruption that is intent on destroying the lives of individual people?
Ian Cook built a solid family business (ICook Foods) over 30 years. With his staff of 41 workers he supplied prepared meals to aged care homes and others. In 2019 the local government food regulator forcibly closed his business. But get this. The regulator was running a (loss-making) business in competition with ICook. And the evidence from media reports and two parliamentary inquiries is that Ian was stitched up. The regulator made false claims of food contamination and planted ‘evidence’ of health breaches. The story in Victoria has become known as SlugGate.
In Senate comment in June this year, Senator Eric Abetz referred, to the appearance of “… a conspiracy by health officials in Victoria to close ICook Foods for the purposes of benefiting the government-owned, loss-making enterprise….”
We’ve explained the story in a bit more detail here.
Here’s a radio interview of Ian’s son Ben Cook telling the rotten story:
And here’s a great website that tells it all.
But having lost everything the Cook family are standing up. They are suing the local council and the Victorian government for $50 million.
The Cooks have tried to get Victoria Police to prosecute government officials for corruption. The police have refused. This is very similar to WorkSafe refusing to prosecute individuals over the hotel quarantine deaths! The Cooks have now lodged complaints with the Australian Federal Police. Here’s their AFP complaint.
Australia needs brave people like the Cook family. I admire them enormously. They must be supported by the law. Victoria is looking like a cesspit of corruption. But to ignore ICook nationally is to concede that corrupt authoritarianism already has a huge grip on our nation. The enemy is already within the gates. We have lost. The rule of law means nothing!