Instead, a roundup will take place next summer, and the surplus horses will be sold, or sent to the abattoir. The wording of the announcement by the Prime Minister makes it clear that the decision was related to the proximity of the emotionally charged issue to the forthcoming election. Experts have fiercely criticised the political decision, saying the roundup will be far more stressful for the horses than the proposed cull would have been. Mr. Bolger called on the vocal pro-horse lobby to demonstrate their concern for the animals by providing homes for them when the roundup takes place. It is considered that the Christian Coalition is likely to ally itself with National.
Subsequent investigations show that the police handling of the case was deeply flawed.
There was clear evidence of sexual molestation, including the fact that her tracksuit pants were on inside out, and her body had bruises and abrasions consistent with a sexual assault. Police officials have conceded that the officers concerned made inadequate efforts to investigate the dead girl's movements prior to her death, or to collect the appropriate forensic evidence, or to determine who else might have been in the park at the time of her death. They have formally apologised to the family of the deceased, and have reopened the case, though they concede that the trail is now so cold that a result is unlikely. This was a mistake on my part, because I associated the release of evidence concerning incest between the deceased father and his daughter with the announcement that Ms. Ablett-Kerr was taking up a high profile case. In fact, the prominent case she is espousing is that of Peter Ellis, convicted of child-molestation on the basis of the testimony of children which many now regard as highly suspect.