Some questions around yesterday's White Island verdict:\xa0
Was justice done? Was justice seen to be done?\xa0
Did a lot of people needlessly get dragged before the court for no good reason?\xa0
Did those who had their charges dismissed get any compensation for lost time and energy on a case for them that went nowhere?\xa0
Is it fair that the law allows a Government agency to simply machine-gun a series of charges about the place, in the hope a few will stick?
Do you machine-gun charge, hoping some will take the path of least resistance and simply plead guilty?\xa0
Did some of those that pled guilty do so for essentially the wrong reasons and, if so, do they now regret that?\xa0
Does the landing of a single guilty verdict from all those charges justify the approach from WorkSafe?\xa0
Given what the judge said about WorkSafe and their reportage of operations on the island, are they potentially as culpable as anyone else? And if they are, where are the charges against them?\xa0
Where is any accountability from them at all?\xa0
Why do we have a system whereby you get charged and then have those charges dismissed and you can essentially do nothing about it?\xa0
Where is WorkSafe and why don't they front to defend their actions? Given that, is there a gross unfairness in the balance of power in matters such as this?\xa0
How many of the WorkSafe charges, or indeed the WorkSafe approach to all of this, was a butt covering exercise designed to make them look better than they clearly are? \xa0\xa0
Accepting this was a tragedy and lives were changed forever, how much of their approach was about looking like they cared and were out to get some people, even if those people were not in any way culpable?\xa0
As tragic as the circumstances turned out to be, does some level of responsibility lie with individuals who took part in a tourist exercise involving a live volcano and there fore a level of risk was entered into?\xa0
Is the reality not that if you are dealing with nature and you can't control, or tame nature, it is at all times beyond your control and therefore risk is involved and people buy into that risk?\xa0
The fact one charge, one contested charge of all the charges, actually stuck - what does that change?\xa0
Was justice done?\xa0
Was justice seen to be done?\xa0
Or are the questions just asked an indication of a sloppy Government department who are as guilty, if not more so, than anyone else who appeared in that court?\xa0
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