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Scales of Justice (1983)

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

Clip description

Detective Inspector Miles (Tim Robertson), known as Killer Miles to the uniformed men, cautiously approaches a luxury cruiser tied up at the wharf. Its owner is 'Nipper’ Jackson (Tony Barry), one of Sydney’s most notorious criminals. He and Miles are involved in some sort of shady transaction to import drugs for which Jackson has put up one million in cash and the detective will ensure that it arrives in the country safely. The senior policeman will then take a cut of the haul. This deal suddenly becomes compromised when Miles discovers he’s under surveillance by the Federal Police and that his partner, Detective Sergeant Draffin (Dennis Miller) is assisting them.

Curator’s notes

by Janet Bell

There’s often a symbiotic relationship between detectives and criminals. When the proceeds of major drug hauls can mean millions of dollars in black money, that relationship can sometimes become infernal. The Tarantino moment here has the detective worrying about how to launder his cash. Jackson has a mate who’ll help him launder it through the roulette wheel in his casino. The detective is appalled to think that people might think he’s a gambler although he’s perfectly happy to be thought of as a punter at the races and not at all concerned that he’s a crooked cop importing drugs. It’s a delicious scene played superbly by Tim Robertson and Tony Barry.

Teacher’s notes

provided by The Le@rning FederationEducation Services Australia

This clip, from the television series Scales of Justice, shows Detective Inspector Miles (Tim Robertson) in conversation with notorious criminal 'Nipper’ Jackson (Tony Barry) aboard Nipper’s luxury cruiser, which is moored at a Sydney wharf. The two men discuss a drug consignment. Miles then complains that he is having trouble hiding money made through illegal activities from the taxation department, and Nipper offers to put him in touch with someone in the casino who can help. However, Miles, who is laundering money through a bookmaker, says that while he is happy to be seen as a 'punter’, he does not want to be known as a gambler.

Educational value points

  • Scales of Justice was regarded as a groundbreaking television program when it was broadcast in the 1980s because it focused on corruption within the New South Wales Police Force. It highlighted connections between members of the police force and organised crime figures, some 10 years before the Royal Commission into Corruption in the NSW Police Force began. It was also one of the first Australian miniseries to depict contemporary Australian society at a time when historical themes predominated.
  • The police corruption depicted in Scales of Justice had strong parallels with the culture that existed in the NSW Police Force in the 1980s, and the audience was quick to identify the actual people being depicted. The Royal Commission into Corruption in the NSW Police Force, which was conducted by Justice James Wood between 1994 and 1997, found that corruption was endemic and systemic within the service. The Royal Commission revealed that there were police officers at various levels who abused police powers and were involved in taking bribes, fabricating and planting evidence, drug dealing and in the cover-up of paedophile rings.
  • The relationship between 'Nipper’ Jackson and Detective Inspector Miles parallels the relationship between real-life crime figure Arthur 'Neddy’ Smith and Detective Sergeant Roger Rogerson, a highly decorated policeman whose name is now synonymous with police corruption in NSW. Smith, who is serving a life sentence for murder, was involved in heroin importation and armed robbery. He gave evidence to the Wood Royal Commission that linked Rogerson to organised crime, which led to his imprisonment. Smith alleged that Rogerson protected him from prosecution, passed on information that enabled him to carry out a series of hold-ups and was involved in drug deals.
  • The clip shows a cosy relationship between a corrupt police detective and a crime boss. It is striking for the matter-of-fact tone in which the two men discuss drug deals and money laundering as if they are legitimate business associates rather than partners in crime. This banality lends the exchange an absurd edge, which is reinforced first by the idea of a policeman seeking financial advice from a criminal, and second by the fine but skewed distinction that Miles makes between being seen as a gambler or a punter when he too is a criminal.
  • Heroin is illegally imported into Australia mainly from Asia, and is usually brought into the country by cargo ship in the false bottoms of shipping containers or disguised as legal goods. Small quantities may arrive by plane or be posted. The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of NSW identified police corruption and organised crime, and the influence of these groups on people in positions of power, as the factors that enabled the illicit drug trade to flourish in Australia.
  • In the clip Miles seeks Jackson’s advice about how to 'hide’ from the taxation department money made from the proceeds of crime. Miles 'launders’ his money so that it appears to come from a legitimate source, by channelling it through a bookmaker at the racetrack and passing it off as race winnings. Interestingly, in real life, Rogerson beat other criminal charges brought against him but was jailed for perverting the course of justice when he misled police about the origins of $110,000 believed to be profits from a drug deal, which he deposited in bank accounts under a false name.
  • In the clip Jackson refers to Al Capone, the USA’s best known gangster. Capone operated out of Chicago in the 1920s and 1930s, and his downfall came about as a result of tax evasion. US authorities were unable to find enough evidence to link Capone to crimes such as murder and illegal gambling; however, in 1931 the Internal Revenue Service indicted him for income tax evasion on earnings from his illegal gambling houses. He was also charged with failing to submit tax returns for the years 1928 and 1929.

Detective Inspector Miles drives up at night and cautiously approaches a luxury cruiser tied up at the wharf.
Detective Inspector Miles Nipper?
Nipper Come on board.
Miles I’m alone.
Nipper And the other bastard?
Miles (laughs) He’s gone.

The two men go below deck where Nipper fixes drinks.
Miles What was the weight?
Nipper Just under three kilos.
Miles He wasn’t buggerising about.
Nipper Good quality stuff. Good grade.
Miles You know I never drink that muck. Give us a beer, will you Nipper?
Nipper I’ll make a gentleman out of you, Mick.
Miles Consignment’s on schedule.
Nipper hands Miles a beer from the bar fridge.
Nipper When’s it dock?
Miles Failing another strike on the wharf, about a week.
Nipper I’d better get my arse into gear.
Miles It’ll take another bloody week to clear Customs.
Nipper How many blokes do you know that can put their hands on $1 million in cash at 24 hours’ notice?
Miles You’re a credit to the free enterprise system, Nipper. Do you put in a tax return?
Nipper Bloody oath I do. Haven’t you heard of Al Capone?
Miles Bloody solicitor I’ve got. I’ve been declaring most of my income but this year provisional tax looks like bankrupting me.
Nipper Turn it into white money, mate. It’s useless unless you…
Miles Yeah, I know that. I’ve been putting it through the on-course bookmaker.
Nipper I’ve got thousands of dollars in TAB accounts, some of them under the name of Donald Duck. I wait 12 months, they destroy the records, I draw on it as winnings.
Miles I have to use the money now.
Nipper What do you do with your bloody money?
Miles I worry about it.
Nipper I know a bloke at the new casino. Good friend, reliable, no questions asked. He’ll launder as much as you like through the roulette wheel. Safe as houses and all legal money.
Miles I don’t want to be known as a gambler. I don’t mind being known as a punter, not a bloody gambler.