Boat builder blamed for deaths in Malu Sara tragedy
Tony Koch; 28/6/08
Manslaughter charges have been recommended against the designer and builder of an Immigration Department patrol boat that sank in the Torres Strait in October 2005 with the loss of all five people on board. Queensland Coroner Michael Barnes is expected to deliver within three months his findings on the inquest into the deaths of two male immigration officials, two women and a four-year-old girl, all Torres Strait islanders, when the Malu Sara was lost between the islands of Saibai andBadu. Counsel assisting the coroner Mark Gynther has provided a 128-page submission on which all other counsel at the inquest have been asked to comment on behalf of their clients. If Mr Barnes adopts the recommendations, the Department of Immigration is likely to be exposed to massive compensation payouts to the families of the five who died.
See: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23934550-2702,00.html
Tags: Aboriginal, Australia, Refugees & Migrants