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Police State (1989)

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A position of trust abused education content clip 1

Original classification rating: PG. This clip chosen to be PG

Clip description

Assistant Commissioner Graeme Parker (Bill Hunter) begins his evidence to the Inquiry by apologising for his part in the years of corruption that had characterised the Queensland Police Force. He claims that Sir Terence Lewis knew what was going on.

Curator’s notes

Ian David made this compelling telemovie from transcripts of the police corruption Inquiry and it makes for great drama. The daily events of the Inquiry were reported from Queensland by Quentin Dempster, who covered the Inquiry for ABC current affairs television, but there’s nothing quite like seeing the events recreated in the form of a reality drama. Assistant Commissioner Graeme Parker (Bill Hunter) tells his sordid tale to the court and we can see illness written all over his livid face. As he walks to and fro to keep the blood moving in his legs, we realise that this testimony has been obtained just in time. It’s a stellar performance from a great actor.

The narrator for the program is Peter Carroll in a style that had been pioneered by Kennedy Miller in The Dismissal. It’s a compelling way to control the time frame and the sequence of events in what might otherwise be a sprawling story across many decades with many different characters.

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australianscreen is produced by the National Film and Sound Archive. By using the website you agree to comply with the terms and conditions described elsewhere on this site. The NFSA may amend the 'Conditions of Use’ from time to time without notice.

All materials on the site, including but not limited to text, video clips, audio clips, designs, logos, illustrations and still images, are protected by the Copyright Laws of Australia and international conventions.

When you access australianscreen you agree that:

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