3 months ago
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A former high-ranking police officer has been appointed Queensland’s new Human Rights Commissioner.
Deborah Platz AM will replace outgoing commissioner Scott McDougall, who held the role for seven years.
Platz has held multiple public offices, most recently as a deputy commissioner of the NSW SES.
Debbie Platz has been named Queensland’s Human Rights Commissioner.
Earlier in career, she served as assistant commissioner in the Queensland police, where she oversaw the management of terrorism threats. She joined the service in 1985 as a constable before becoming a detective in the child protection unit.
She was named the International Female Officer of the Year by the International Association of Women and Police in 2016, and has also served as an assistant commissioner in the federal police.
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Attorney-General Deb Frecklington said Platz’s experience as a police officer would be valuable in her new role.
“Deborah Platz is an experienced and compassionate leader and I am confident she will make a significant contribution to the Queensland community in the years ahead,” Frecklington said.
Platz said she was excited to get stuck into the work, promising to deliver results for vulnerable people.
“I am energised by the opportunity to step into this new role that presents a challenge while allowing me to draw on my extensive experience,” she said.
In the final weeks of his term as commissioner, McDougall said his office did not have enough power, pointing to its inability to take legal action over children being held in police watch houses.
“I visited a watch house where I saw a 17-year-old who had been detained for more than three weeks in the watch house without any access to sunlight, no access to their family, no schooling,” he said in an interview with ABC shortly before the end of his term.
Leaving the role while children still spent long periods in watch houses was his biggest regret, he said.
On Thursday morning there were eight children in watch houses around Queensland, with three days the longest stay.
The government said Platz was chosen after a merit-based selection process, and will begin her five-year term on January 30, taking over from acting commissioner Catherine Scott.
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