All Fall Down (49 page)

Bless Me Father, For I Have Sinned

Not long after Early’s visit to the Commissioner’s house, Lewis received another visitor at his newly built three-level home at 12 Garfield Drive. A clearly befuddled Graeme Parker, Assistant Commissioner and the State’s third-highest ranking police officer, came to the door in his pyjamas. He had driven to Paddington from his home at 60 Alderson Street, Newmarket.

‘He came early, very early in the morning to see me and … he was very, very ill,’ Lewis recalls. ‘He was in his pyjamas. And he was really crook … and I told him that he should go and see a specialist and get treatment. He was just rambling about nothing … it was a no visit if you like. A visit with no visit, and I think I might have rung his wife and said he should go and see a doctor.’

Parker had recently suffered a bout of pneumonia and had relapsed. Just a fortnight after the damning evidence against him from corrupt cop Harry Burgess, a disoriented Parker was now turning up unannounced at the home of his boss. Parker was about to crack – he was readmitted to hospital on 16 September – and soon after resigned from the force and admitted corruption to inquiry investigators.

Over at police headquarters, Early recorded in his diary that he was visited by Allan Morrish, Parker’s personal assistant, who was concerned about papers in Parker’s safe. Early wrote: ‘He said he and Parker had a key … I asked him if he felt there was enough justification to check the safe and he said “yes”. I saw Dep Com [Ron] Redmond and told him of the visit and of my rec. to check the safe and transfer the contents to AC McMahon in fairness to him and particularly in view of uncertainty about Parker’s return to duty, his state of health and also that we had knowledge of him speaking to Mr Crooke and had changed his solicitor in recent days. Mr Redmond agreed … Told COP [Commissioner of Police] of safe matter and leaks inq. To office of Dep Com and saw receipt for safe contents.’

What nobody knew was that on the Wednesday evening Parker indicated to commission staff that he was prepared to roll over in exchange for indemnity. A secret bedside sitting of the inquiry was arranged in the Mater Hospital where Parker offered a minimal amount of sworn evidence. He gave it directly to Commissioner Tony Fitzgerald from his hospital bed. The transcript of the evidence read in part: ‘Is it the case that you have admitted to the Commission that you were involved in corruption as a police officer?’

‘Yes,’ Parker said.

The disgraced now former assistant commissioner agreed to give evidence before the inquiry when he was in better health. He also named other police involved in corruption.

Lewis recalls that one of his daughters, Lanna, was on nursing duty at the Mater Hospital when Parker rolled over to the inquiry. ‘She said he was really ill, he nearly died,’ remembers Lewis. ‘And it would have been very easy for any of those nurses to let him die because he was really crook. And while he was crook they talked to him of course, Fitzgerald himself went over and talked to him and others. And supposedly, I haven’t got any evidence of this, but somebody might – Parker might tell you – he asked for a priest. And they put a bogus one in and he confessed his sins to the bogus priest.

‘Parker [was a] very, very bright fellow and I liked him. He was a real worker. How he got involved with Herbert … I don’t know, I don’t know.’

The news of Parker’s resignation hit like a thunderclap. On Wednesday 18 September, Early wrote in his diary: ‘Saw Dep Com and AC McMahon re locks on Parker’s doors and arranged for them to be changed …’

Early would go on to write in his unpublished memoir that on 18 September Lewis, Deputy Commissioner Ron Redmond and the five remaining Assistant Commissioners (Braithwaite, McMahon, Hilker, Donoghue and probably Walker) met in the small conference room to discuss Parker’s resignation and to select a replacement for him. ‘I was told by the Commissioner after the meeting that I was the selected replacement for Parker,’ Early wrote.

Parker was, to date, the commission’s biggest scalp, and it immediately adjourned for two weeks to sort through and analyse huge volumes of information it had received.

In the meantime, Labor’s Justice Spokesman Wayne Goss went on the attack, calling for Commissioner Lewis to stand aside for the duration of the Fitzgerald Inquiry.

‘I am making no suggestion of any improper conduct on the part of Sir Terence,’ Goss was quoted in the
Courier-Mail
on Saturday 19 September. ‘But clearly he must accept some of the responsibility, in an administrative sense, for the conduct of senior officers who have been promoted on his recommendation.’

Bjelke-Petersen immediately stood up for his embattled Police Commissioner. ‘I always support people until something has been proved otherwise.’

Police Minister Bill Gunn called Goss’s comments ‘ludicrous’.

By the next day, the ground had shifted slightly. In a page-one story in the
Sunday Mail
under the headline – LEWIS MUST GO IT ALONE – Gunn said the Commissioner would have to decide for himself whether he stepped aside or not. ‘I think he’s got to make up his own mind,’ Gunn reportedly said. ‘He may or may not decide to do that. I’m not going to pressure him, it’s up to him.’

Opposition Leader Nev Warburton demanded that all police resignations be cleared by the Fitzgerald Inquiry before superannuation payments were made.

Opinionated columnist Quentin Dempster weighed into the debate. ‘Does the Government stick with Sir Terence Lewis and leave the police force in turmoil for the months it will take to complete the inquiry?’ he asked. ‘Or does it stand him aside to stop further erosion of the public confidence in the police, and indeed the morale in the force itself?’

Those questions would be answered the following morning, when Commissioner Lewis made his usual trek to the office of the Police Minister, Bill Gunn, for their Monday briefing.

Stand Down

The next day, Lewis was driven from Garfield Drive to headquarters. His personal assistant, Greg Early, writes: ‘On Monday morning, 21 September, 1987, I saw the Commissioner at about 7.30 a.m. as was my usual practice. I have recorded in diary 6/067 “Saw COP [Commissioner of Police] and he said he would not be standing down voluntarily”.’

Lewis then headed for Gunn’s office in the Executive Building in George Street. ‘The next thing is, Gunn gets … obviously he had it lined up because there [were] media people everywhere on the Monday morning,’ recalls Lewis, ‘… so I went in and he said, “Look, I want you to stand aside” or “I’m directing you to stand aside” or whatever.

‘I said, “No, I won’t do that, I want to hear that from the Premier.” So I went up with him to the Premier and I sat outside, of course, while he went in and saw the Premier.’

Gunn later said in an interview that Lewis brought one of his daughters with him. ‘… she started to do all the talking,’ Gunn alleged. ‘[Lewis] demanded to see Joh. Well, I said, “I don’t care about that, but you don’t see anybody without me being present.”’

Gunn said he phoned the Premier and escorted Lewis and his daughter to Bjelke-Petersen’s office. ‘It was only one floor up in the lift [but] it was one of the longest journeys you could take,’ Gunn recalled.

Lewis remembers that he was made to wait for about ten or 15 minutes. ‘Then I went in and the Premier said, oh, words to the effect that Gunn has said that Parker is going to give evidence implicating you in corruption. He’s asked that you be stood aside … he’s the Minister …

‘I said he’s wrong and I won’t do it … I said I wanted it in writing, so he gave it to me in writing.

‘Gunn said that [Ian] Callinan [QC, senior counsel for the state government] had told him that Parker was going to implicate me in corruption. Gunn … told Joh that. [But] Parker didn’t implicate me in corruption … like that got me stood aside. And of course once I was stood aside they had open season.’

Gunn had a slightly different version of events. ‘I guess that the best form of defence is attack and Joh knew that … from when he came in the door, Joh attacked him,’ said Gunn. ‘He [Lewis] said, “I’ve done a lot in this state for the government,” and by God, Joh said, “We’ve done a lot for you, too, and I’m standing by my Minister” – he really told him off.’

Gunn said he let Lewis make his own way to the lift. ‘It was a quick exit,’ Gunn added.

Lewis was offended at the haste of the directive, after so many years of loyalty to the Premier. ‘[It was] to take effect that same day,’ he remembers. ‘No chance to go and tidy up your office or … I had stuff everywhere. Well, not everywhere, it was all neat and tidy but I had 11 years of stuff there. It was the next day that [the] Fitzgerald mob came in and went through my office for several days.’

Greg Early says Lewis had returned to his office by 9.40 a.m. ‘and said he had been directed by the Minister and Premier to step down as COP.’

Lewis gathered his men to tell them the news. ‘I had to go back to the office … I got all of my men together and told them,’ Lewis recalls. ‘I tried to get … my personal clothing and that to take home. Of course, in retrospect, I should have tried to clear the bloody office, but it would have been impossible.’

Early wrote in his diary: ‘Packed some items from COP’s safe into cartons for him. Not known what they were except he said 2 were his tax files and a folder re his son’s Tony’s problems; also he said he put some coins into an airways bag. He put some personal items into this bag and showed me what was official and what was his in his office and shelves, in his storeroom and in his ante room. COP left some folders in his safe and at that stage all I knew was that they were conf[idential]. deptl files.’

Later that morning, Lewis wrote a letter to Gunn regarding the Deputy Premier’s verbal request that he ‘stand down’ from his position. It had always been Lewis’s way. To make sense of circumstances around him, he put pen to paper. His argument was clean and logical.

Dear Mr Gunn,

This morning you requested me to ‘stand down’ from the office of Commissioner of Police for a limited period because of evidence which had been given to the Fitzgerald Inquiry.

I replied that I had done my job during thirty-nine years in the Police Force to the best of my ability, that I was not guilty of any wrongdoing and to ‘stand down’ merely because some sections of the community thought I should, would do considerable harm to the Police Force.

I replied that as matters stood I would not voluntarily stand down.

Lewis said he had failed thus far to put before Gunn the circumstances, which he believed would be grounds for him standing down. Suppose, he hypothesised, the admittedly corrupt Graeme Parker fingered Lewis as one of his partners in crime. That, Lewis said, would be reason to vacate his position on full pay until the allegations had been tested.

Lewis went on:

As I understand the matter it is unlikely that a report from this inquiry will be available for many months yet. This morning, of course, you did not advise me of any serious definite allegation made against me by any significant witness but spoke only in generalities.

If you know of any serious allegations made against me by a person of significance I should of course appreciate receiving full details of it at your earliest convenience.

Lewis was fighting for his life, for his status and for his future. His letter was followed by another from Gunn.

Dear Sir Terence,

I refer to our meeting of even date at which matters concerning the Fitzgerald Commission of Inquiry were discussed.

In view of the developments which have occurred in recent days, I believe that the superintendence of the Police Force of Queensland can only be adequately secured if you stand aside until such time as the matters before the Commission are resolved.

Consequently I direct you to stand aside as Commissioner of Police as from midnight tonight and approve that you be granted special leave on full pay not debited to any leave account until these matters are resolved.

This action is not taken lightly but is, I consider, to be in the best interests of the public and the Police Force of Queensland,

Lewis replied directly, saying that in his letter he had set out circumstances in which he might stand down. ‘These circumstances have not occurred and your letter under reply purports to direct me to stand aside.’

(Lewis says: ‘I had a friend who was a lawyer and I went to him and he wrote a letter answering that to Gunn …’)

It was an astonishing rebuttal of the Deputy Premier. Lewis was arguing that, in essence he would only stand aside if the circumstances were agreeable to him. Also, to suggest that Gunn’s written directive ‘purports’ – or appears, possibly falsely – to direct him, was perhaps indicative of Lewis’s desperation given the situation.

He ended the letter: ‘While I do not accept that this direction is a valid one I propose to comply with it to prevent the Queensland Police Force and the Office of Commissioner being involved in controversy.’ Given Lewis didn’t see the order as ‘a valid one’, his letter hinted at potential legal action in the future.

That afternoon, Ron Redmond, who had given evidence before the Fitzgerald Inquiry just a couple of months earlier, was anointed Acting Commissioner of Police. According to Lewis, Redmond told him to leave ‘the numerous files, reports, books, and innumerable items accumulated over many years in my office and storage room and they would be safe until I returned’. (The locks to both areas would be changed the next day.)