Urgent Calls for National Police oversight Following Kardell Lomas Case
A panel of experts advising the Australian federal government on sexual violence law reform is demanding “urgent” autonomous national oversight of police, spurred by revelations of failures in the case of Kardell Lomas, a 31-year-old First Nations woman. The calls for action follow a recent examination by Guardian Australia, dubbed “Broken trust,” which detailed how Lomas sought assistance from police and other agencies in the months leading up to her death.
Did you know? – The “Broken trust” investigation by Guardian Australia revealed systemic failures in how police handled Kardell Lomas’s case. This prompted the expert panel’s urgent call for national police oversight. The investigation highlighted the need for accountability and reform within law enforcement.
The family of Lomas, a Kamilaroi and Mununjali woman, has formally applied for an inquest to investigate potential failures by law enforcement to assist her, protect her from a dangerous partner, and properly investigate reports of domestic violence. Sixteen of the twenty members of the expert panel have signed a statement addressed to Attorney General Michelle Rowland, urging “urgent, decisive action” in response to the case.
According to the statement, the Lomas case underscores issues the panel repeatedly raised during the Australian Law Reform Commission’s inquiry into justice responses to sexual violence. Tho, the panel believes the inquiry’s recommendations did not go far enough to address systemic problems. “Expert advisory group members repeatedly warned of the chronic failure of police to investigate violence,” the statement asserts.
Pro tip: – When seeking help, document everything. Keep records of interactions with police and other agencies. This documentation can be crucial if you need to file a complaint or seek legal action. It helps establish a clear timeline of events and the responses received.
The panel emphasized that their recommendations were informed by “lived experience, organisational data, and decades of frontline insight.” They made it clear that victim-survivors, particularly those from marginalized communities, “cannot rely on a system that routinely dismisses or delays their pleas for help.” The inquiry report, they contend, “does not address these issues to the extent that is urgently required.”
The statement highlights a concerning pattern where “very serious concerns about egregious policing responses or failures to respond are not adequately confronted.” This systemic issue, they argue, results in tragic consequences, with “women continu[ing] to pay the price, sometimes with their lives, for this ongoing pattern of dismissal, delay and inadequate responses that leave them unprotected in critical moments.” The panel believes “this moment requires national leadership.”
Specifically, the statement calls for an inquest into Lomas’s death, an request currently under consideration by Queensland Attorney general Deb Frecklington. It also demands “immediate national action to establish truly independent oversight of police responses to violence in every state and territory.” Without such accountability, the panel warns, “preventable deaths will continue.”
Reader question: – What specific changes do you think are needed to improve police responses to domestic violence? Share your thoughts on how to ensure victim-survivors are better protected and supported. What role should community involvement play?
In Queensland, a 2022 inquiry previously recommended the creation of a civilian-led integrity unit to handle complaints against police. However,implementation of this recommendation has stalled,and its future remains uncertain. Currently, the vast majority of complaints against police are investigated by other police officers, raising concerns about impartiality.
The need for independent oversight was further illustrated by a case investigated as part of the “Broken trust” series, where a whistleblower reported police failures in investigating the response to the murder of Hannah Clarke and her children. The Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) attempted to refer the complaint back to the police for investigation.
Support services are available for Indigenous Australians th
Why: The expert panel is calling for national police
