AUSTRALIA
Brisbane Times
November 6, 2014
Amy Remeikis
Queensland state political reporter
A Queensland priest at the centre of a sexual assault investigation attempted to gain access to the police investigation against him, including the recorded interview with the alleged child victim, so he could appeal a decision made against him by the Catholic Church and sue the complainant.
The man, who had no charges laid against him as a result of the investigation 15 years ago, applied for access to 99 pages and two cassette tape recordings relating to the police investigation under the Right to Information Act.
He said he was entitled to the information because they contained his personal information and because “there is a strong public interest in QPS being accountable for the way it conducts its investigations”.
His request was denied late last year on the grounds it was contrary to public interest.
The man appealed his decision to the Office of the Information Commissioner [OIC] which reviewed the decision last month.
“The applicant states that he is seeking information to include in an application for review of findings made against him in the [Catholic Church’s] Towards Healing process and also considers that the information will assist him in commencing a defamation action against the complainant,” The Assistant Information Commissioner reported.
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