Thank you everyone for your understanding in the case involving the Chief Superintendent of the Yidindji Police. We deeply thank those who attended and demonstrated their support Please find a short summary of the outcome below:

The Attorney General described the court as ‘very civilized’. There was no hostility from the prosecutor or from the magistrate. The outcome was rather bizarre considering the charges by QPS. After a long session both the prosecutor & the magistrate were falling over themselves to lighten Matthew’s sentence as much as possible.

The Magistrate was very clear in stating that the Yidindji Nation is not a Sovereign Citizens Movement as claimed by QPS. However, there will be continued legal issues arising on this path until a formal Treaty is arrived at.

The Magistrate was also very clear in stating that Matthew is of good character and clearly not going to cause anyone harm. It was very positive in that he acknowledged that Matthew was standing as Bilbara (Matthew’s Yidindji identity), despite the fact that the QLD court itself is unable to see anything but QLD law.

For over a year Matthew has had the threat of jail time, massive fines and a criminal record hanging over him. Yet surprisingly he was offered a sweet deal composed of light community service with a clean record and clean slate. The court was so very nice about it that it really seemed they wanted the whole thing to go away.

We were extremely proud of Matthew’s stance. While defending himself in the hearing, he succeeded in highlighting the incredible work and achievements of the Yidindji Nation.

One disappointment was that Matthew’s Yidindji ID & Police Instruments of Government were not returned. They were put on show as evidence but not given back. The police badge, uniform etc are not Matthews to give away or to lose. They are actually the property of the Yidindji Government. The Minister of Foreign Affairs will be chasing these up from the Commonwealth of Australia and the State of Queensland.

While this case may be done and dusted for Matthew (if he takes up the Community Service order), it is important to understand that for the Nation, this is just the start. The issue of co-existing sovereignties has not been addressed and there is still a long way to go. Meanwhile, we are very grateful to Matthew for taking the stand he did. The Yidindji Nation is here & it cannot be denied. More to come…

Thank you once again for your support. We trust you are having a magical start to the week and we look forward to catching up soon!

With warmest regards,

Mama Devi,
President, Yidindji Chamber of Commerce