Senator Jacqui Lambie has been urged to withdraw claims of incompetence and cover-up after using parliamentary privilege to accuse police of mishandling a decade-old case.
The Burnie-based senator made the allegations in the Senate on Tuesday night, referencing the 2015 death of 15-year-old Eden Westbrook in St Helens.
The teenager was found dead in Fisherman’s Memorial Park on February 18, 2015.
A coroner later ruled her death as suicide, but her family has long suspected foul play and continues to push for further investigation.
Lambie took aim at the state’s Attorney-General, accusing him of walking back on a “promise” to change coronial laws, changes that would allow her access to currently withheld autopsy photos of the teenager.
“I want to see that legislation going through in March. I want to see those autopsy photos,” she said.
Beyond the withheld photos, Lambie also claimed key evidence was missing from the case, alleging that witnesses reported Eden had suffered facial bruising and shattered teeth.
“This is a botched investigation at the very least. The police had clearly decided from the start that Eden had [taken her own life],” she said.
“That was it, end of story. You didn’t even look to see if it was murder. You made your mind up. They didn’t interview critical witnesses and persons of interest.”
“They didn’t ask for Eden’s mobile phone or check her social media accounts to understand her state of mind, or check whether she was being groomed or abused.”
Lambie also took a broader swipe at policing in the state, comparing it to the military and arguing that leadership “has a lot left to answer for”.
Police Association of Tasmania President Shane Tilley said Lambie has now used parliamentary privilege three times to make “very serious allegations”, which he called “all unfounded”.
“We understand that Senator Lambie is a passionate person, but if she has evidence of wrongdoing, then produce it so it can be investigated,” he said.
“Our members, from constables to the commissioner, work very hard under difficult conditions to keep the community safe.”
“They do not deserve to be disrespected and subject to unfounded allegations from people like Senator Lambie who then produce nothing to support their claims.”
Lambie has previously said that if she’s wrong about the case, she will apologise. But if she’s right and Eden’s death wasn’t suicide, she expects police leadership to “resign effective immediately”.
