The National Business Review
August 8, 2003

Case Load:
Packing off the forces of darkness
by Jock Anderson

A mate swears the following is true and Case load honestly believes it to be so.

It seems people attending a "children's issues" conference in Dunedin were called on to discuss how to counter a petition by prominent citizens calling for a royal commission of inquiry into the Peter Ellis affair. Those who turned up apparently considered an anti-petition petition, before dropping that idea. With the help of former children's commissioner Ian Hassall, who now describes himself as chairman of something called "children's agenda," they drew up a statement, hoping for conference blessing. When the statement was read it apparently fell on barren ground.

A woman who gave her name and said she was a CYFS psychologist claimed the statement missed the point - the Ellis petition was about injustice and bad practice - and she applauded the petition. Case load was advised there was general agreement and others spoke in favour of the petition.