Author Lynley Hood is disappointed in Justice Minister Phil Goff's reaction to the petition she presented on the steps of Parliament yesterday, signed by over 800 people who want a top-level inquiry into the Peter Ellis convictions. Hood, author of a book on the Ellis case which inspired the petition, said that Goff has the constitutional authority to investigate further, and does not require new evidence to exercise his powers. “He could do it tomorrow. You don't need new evidence to establish a commission of inquiry. You don't need the permission of the judiciary. All you need is moral courage and political will," she said. “He claims to have an open mind but, you know, I sometimes wonder if it's so open his brain's fallen out.” Former creche supervisor Gaye Davidson was also dismayed by the reaction. "We've lost years of our lives in terms of what has happened to us. We still live under the shadow of the accusations that were made against us even though we were acquitted and we would dearly like it all to go away and it won't until this comes true, until we get our inquiry," she said. Goff's views on the case would appear to have changed since 1995, when as an opposition MP he wrote a letter to one family saying that he believed a full inquiry should be held.
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Wednesday, 25th June 2003 - 12:00pm