Western Australia's first female Indigenous senator says the refusal of police to appear at an inquiry into missing and murdered First Nations women and children is a slap in the face to victim families.
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"It's a complete disregard for the trauma that they have experienced," Senator Dorinda Cox said.
In 2013, Yamatji woman Tamica Mullaley's baby boy Charlie was kidnapped, tortured and murdered by her former partner Mervyn Bell.
Bell beat Ms Mullaley and left her naked and bleeding with life-threatening injuries on a Broome street.
When police arrived, instead of being treated as a victim of violence, Ms Mullaley was arrested along with her father Ted, who had turned up to help.
While Ms Mullaley was in police custody in hospital, Bell abducted baby Charlie, then brutalised and murdered him.
The police response was criticised in a Corruption and Crime Commission (CCC) review, though it ruled there was no serious misconduct and did not conduct a full investigation.
Last year WA Attorney-General John Quigley apologised to and pardoned Tamica and Ted Mullaley on behalf of the state government.
Earlier this year Ms Mullaley shared her horrific story with the inquiry, which returned to Perth on Wednesday to hold a public hearing.
Senator Cox, a former WA police officer, said Ms Mullaley was inspirational.
"For her to come to the committee and to share her story with us was an act of bravery and she inspired so many other people to come forward and to talk to us," she said.
"Our job today was to encourage government departments and in particular WA Police to come with answers about how they'd improved their systems.
"So to not have police turn up is a complete slap in the face to families."
Senator Cox said police had missed an opportunity and suggested Police Minister Paul Papalia could compel members of the force to attend.
"It really screams to me that there's a lack of respect that somehow we are still making victims responsible in this state for what has happened to them - and that is not OK," she said.
"That is the responsibility of the system and the systems we all govern and that we, from a parliamentary point of view, legislate."
A state government spokesperson said WA Police made submissions to assist the Senate inquiry.
"The minister did not compel the WA Police Force to attend, as is appropriate with the existing separation of powers," the spokesperson said.
Senator Scarr asked CCC chief executive Emma Johnson if she understood the apparent contradiction in the commission finding that there had been no serious police misconduct and the attorney-general apologising to the Mullaleys.
Ms Johnson conceded to the hearing that, if baby Charlie's case was considered these days, there "may be" a different response.
"I can't anticipate what would happen but I have confidence all the matters related to the serious misconduct that might have occurred in a situation like this would be teased out robustly, considered and appropriate action taken," she said.
Senator Cox said she believed the relationship between the CCC and police was too close, particularly given there are a number of former officers now working in the commission.
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Australian Associated Press
