Bench ganged up on me: Fingleton
28.06.2005
Fingleton last night accused Queensland's magistrates of ganging up on her when she was chief magistrate, as Premier Peter Beattie stood firm in his refusal to return her to the top post or pay compensation.
Ms Fingleton lost her job in 2003 after she was convicted of threatening a subordinate magistrate.
She spent six months in prison, but the High Court last week set aside the conviction and declared she should never have been charged because her role was immune from prosecution.
In an interview with Andrew Denton on ABC television's Enough Rope program last night, Ms Fingleton said that when a female manager was aggressive she was regarded as a bitch, but when a man was aggressive ``they're doing what they do''.
``I was setting high standards (as chief magistrate), which some people were choosing not to meet,'' she said. ``Therefore, I had to be brought down, so to speak.
``Have you heard the word `mobbing'? You know, a lot of people talk about bullying, but mobbing is when the employees gang up on the boss.''
Ms Fingleton is expected to meet state Attorney-General Rod Welford tomorrow to again demand a return to her old job, having declined Mr Beattie's offer of a normal magistrate's job.
Mr Beattie said he had no alternative offer on the table and would not pay Ms Fingleton compensation for her lost earnings, legal expenses or wrongful imprisonment.
He said the incumbent Chief Magistrate, Marshall Irwin, was doing a good job and, although he refused to be drawn on Ms Fingleton's performance in the past, the Premier argued a change at the top would cause ``instability''.
``If we were to change Marshall Irwin -- and there would be all sorts of legal and other impediments to doing that -- it would, in my view, be seen unfavourably by the magistracy because I think things are working very well at the moment and we don't want to destabilise that.''
One Nation founder Pauline Hanson -- herself jailed in Queensland and then cleared on appeal -- joined the state Opposition in blaming Director of Public Prosecutions Leanne Clare for Ms Fingleton's predicament.
``She has actually destroyed not only Di Fingleton's life, but mine as well,'' Ms Hanson said yesterday.
