I don't even have to say it, this occured 4 years after the huge gun reform in Australia
And in much more recent news, (thankfully no deaths)...
Childers danger known, say families
By Greg Roberts and Peter Fray
June 20 2003
The Childers hostel in central Queensland was refused a fire safety permit 17 months before the inferno that killed 15 backpackers, and authorities did nothing to rectify the situation, the families of 11 victims have claimed.
They say their children could have survived if the hostel's fire alarm system had not been turned off and escape routes had not been blocked by beds or bars on the windows.
The allegations are contained in statements of claim filed in the Brisbane District Court seeking damages from eight parties, including Isis Shire Council and the hostel's management company, Where-on-Earth.
One of seven British families who have joined the action said yesterday that they knew it would not end the "half lives" they led, but that "somebody needs to be accountable for what happened".
Monday is the third anniversary of the inferno, which killed nine women and six men in the Palace Backpackers Hostel, most of them foreigners.
An itinerant fruit-picker, Robert Long, was jailed for life last year for the murders of two victims, 19-year-old West Australian twins Stacey and Kelly Slarke.
A statement by the twins' father, Frank Slarke, 61, said solicitors for Where-on-Earth wrote to the council in December 1998 seeking information on the hostel's fire safety status.
A month later a shire officer inspected the hostel and "expressly declined" to issue a safety permit. The shire took no steps to require the company to apply for a permit or conduct further inspections, despite a local law that said it needed to be satisfied premises were free of fire hazards.
It also alleges that when the Fire and Rescue Service inspected the hostel in 1997 it warned there was an evacuation problem, but that no further inspections were conducted before the fire.
And the statement said that in June 2000 - the month of the fire - fire alarm devices had been turned off and temporary or alternative alarms had been provided. In an upstairs room where the twins and eight other victims died, access to a door was blocked by bunks.
Mr Slarke is seeking $217,000 for "damages and injuries, nervous shock and loss".
The twins' parents knew the pair were staying at a hostel in Childers and could not reach them on their mobile phone. Police had "falsely reassured" them that the girls' Magna station wagon was not near the hostel and that they must therefore have moved on. However, that evening, the vehicle was found parked behind the hostel.
The family had to wait weeks for confirmation from DNA. They received jewellery taken from the girls' bodies and had to unpack their belongings when the vehicle was returned.
Valerie and Brian Sutton, of Bath, England, lost their only son, Gary, 24, and say their lives have become "complete and utter nightmare".
"It's just unbelievable, really," said Mrs Sutton, 60. "They went over for an adventure and came home in a coffin. The actual way he died, it's just so horrific. We don't want anyone else to go through what we have . . . Somebody needs to be held accountable for what happened. We want justice for our son and the others."
Gary Sutton, a croupier at Bristol casino, had been travelling around Australia with his friend, Michael Lewis, from Bristol, when they stopped in Childers. They had been away from Britain for 10 months and were planning to return in two months.
In Mr Sutton's case, his room's only free door opened directly onto the firewall.
"They couldn't get out," Mrs Sutton said. "They were packed in like sardines. If there had not been bars on the windows they would have been able to get out. They could have [also] got out of the fire exit if that had not been blocked."
Since Mr Sutton's death, his family have been in regular counselling and Mr Sutton, 65, had to give up his job as a bus driver before official retirement age because he was unable to concentrate on the road.
Solace has come from the families of other victims, especially Mr Lewis's mother, Mary, who lives nearby, and a handful of survivors who have kept in touch. They are likely to meet up for Monday's anniversary of the tragedy.
"You think these things happen to other people, not you," Mrs Sutton said. "He was my only son. He was kind of special."
The families are also seeking redress from Where-on-Earth's two owners and the hostel's live-in managers, the Queensland Government and the hostel's owner.
The Mayor of Isis, Bill Trevor, said he was seeking legal advice. A fire service spokesman said the claims would be defended and there had been no breach of duty of care by service employees.
The claims have been brought by the legal firm Slater and Gordon. In a separate action, 59 of the 70 survivors of the fire are seeking damages through the firm.
And in much more recent news, (thankfully no deaths)...
'Trolley blast': explosives wheeled into shopping centre
LINDSAY MURDOCH
February 3, 2010 - 3:41PM
A man pushes a shopping trolley filled with explosive materials into a Darwin insurance company.
At least 15 people have been injured - three seriously - after a man wheeled a shopping trolley into an insurance office in central Darwin and ignited flammable material.
Police said courageous bystanders helped pull injured people from the Territory Insurance Office (TIO) in the centre of the city at 11am (1.30pm AEDT) today.
Did you see the blast? Email us with information and pictures.
Police and forensic investigators (right) at the scene of today's blast.
Police and forensic investigators (right) at the scene of today's blast. Photo: Glenn Campbell
Five of the injured have been admitted to the high dependence unit of the Royal Darwin Hospital. Three have serious burns and two have respiratory problems.
Six of the 13 injured were TIO staff members.
Police said there was no indication at all that this was an act of terrorism and said it was an isolated incident.
One of the injured, a policeman who suffered smoke inhalation, was believed to have been involved in rescuing people from the blast.
The man, reportedly pushed the trolley, which contained three large cans of petrol and a large number of firecrackers, inside the door of the TIO where there were customers and staff. He then left as the trolley exploded.
Ambulances took the injured to Royal Darwin Hospital, where their conditions were being assessed.
Police Commander Rob Kendrick said soon after the explosion, the man surrendered himself at the nearby Darwin Police Station.
The man was a disgruntled customer who had issues with the TIO, police said.
TIO chief executive Richard Harding told reporters outside the office that that he didn’t know what specific complaint the man had.
He said whether investigating that would be up to police.
Police have sealed off the centre of Darwin and are telling shoppers to stay away.
The office of the TIO, the Northern Territory's biggest insurer, is located adjacent to a Woolworths supermarket in a major shopping complex, which lies between Smith and Cavenagh streets.
Five ambulance vehicles are on the scene and Darwin hospital's burns trauma unit is on standby.
Police are moving a bomb detection robot into the building to see if it contains any more explosives.
Charmaine Burton said she heard a noise like a series of firecrackers going off, followed by a loud explosion.
Ms Burton, who was working in a nearby accountant's office, said she ran to the TIO office and saw smoke billowing out.
‘‘The noise was ‘bang, bang, bang’, like 15 to 20 firecrackers, but louder,’’ she said.
Louisa Ainsworth was shopping when she heard the explosion.
"I was shopping at Woolworths and then just started hearing all this crashing and banging, sort of like a roof was collapsing and sort of like a little explosion," she said.
"We just went outside and saw all the smoke and people screaming and running out of TIO."
NT fire brigade Darwin station officer Dave Lines said the supermarket was ablaze when fire crews arrived but it was already mostly controlled by the supermarket’s sprinkler system.
He said the police bomb squad did not send in their bomb detection robot because fire crews had established that the fire was caused by unleaded petrol and fireworks.
He said it appeared the shopping trolley contained three jerry cans of petrol and a cluster of fireworks.
He said the explosions caused a relatively significant amount of damage to the supermarket and he expected it would need to be refitted.
with AAP
