Brisbane — A
FORMER whistleblower who was suspended after complaining
about the treatment of people with disabilities at
Brisbane's Basil Stafford Centre has been sacked.
In February, The Courier-Mail
reported that Kerry Crossingham, a residential care
officer who worked with residents at the notorious
facility, had been suspended on full pay since last July
after alleging people with intellectual disabilities were
being isolated and locked up for long periods.
The treatment contravenes
Disability Services Queensland's statutory requirements
and policies.
Yesterday Mr Crossingham said he
had received a letter of dismissal, the grounds for which
included him harassing DSQ executive director Evan Klatt
by sending emails relating to his complaints to Mr
Klatt's home computer, and failing to follow a direction
to supply his current home address to the department.
Mr Crossingham, who was nominated
for an award for his work in 2004, said the Basil
Stafford resident about whose treatment he had complained
was still being "detained illegally".
"They have no legal authorisation
to lock him up and he is one of a number of
intellectually disabled people whose liberty is currently
being deprived illegally by DSQ," he said.
"There is no statutory authority
stating that residential care officers are authorised to
lock these people up virtually, in some cases, in
solitary confinement."
Mr Crossingham said he would take
his case to the Queensland Industrial Relations
Commission.
