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SlugGate

Justice and Not Above the Law: Class action to bankrupt Victoria?

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not-above-the-lawIt can take a long time for justice and the rule of law to hold people accountable (particularly powerful people), where such accountability is proven to be warranted.

We made our attempt in Victoria to require WorkSafe to hold people (powerful people) accountable for the failures of the 2020 Hotel Quarantine disaster which resulted in 801 deaths. The Victorian Supreme Court ‘knocked us out’ on a technicality which meant that the Court did not have to rule on WorkSafe’s refusal to do its job!

Discernable recently interviewed SEA’s Ken Phillips (Executive Director) and Nick Karamouzis (Chair) where we gave a full report (26min).

But this issue is not over—not by the (proverbial) long shot! A class action for damages is proceeding in the Victorian Supreme Court with considerable success so far.

Class action—Victoria

The class action by the international legal firm, Quinn Emanuel, is suing for damages inflicted on the thousands of businesses forced into lockdown during 2020. As with SEA’s application,  the state government attempted to have the application knocked out on technical grounds. But the Full Court of the Supreme Court has dismissed the government’s attempt. The action now progresses. Speculation is that a successful ruling could result in a payout to affected businesses in the many billions of dollars, even enough to bankrupt Victoria.

You can follow the class action here.

Michigan class action took nine years

It’s instructive to note the successful class action in the US state of Michigan where the ex-Governor and eight other government officials faced criminal charges, including manslaughter. This happened after a government-induced health crisis in the city of Flint in 2014. The crisis resulted in twelve deaths and some 90 cases of Legionnaires’ disease.

Just this month the Michigan Supreme Court awarded $US600 million ($A900 million) to finalise the class action for damages—a damages situation vastly smaller than that which occurred in the Victorian lockdown. But note that it took nine years to reach final settlement.

We’ll continue to follow the Victorian class action and keep you updated.

A free and fair society? Nah! The powerful and corrupt rule Oz – if we allow them!

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slug-gate-corruptionOur 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!