Death boat skipper `lacked training'
18.04.2007
THE only training the skipper of the doomed Immigration Department vessel Malu Sara received was from an inexperienced office-bound manager, an inquest into the deaths of five people who died when the boat sank in the Torres Strait has heard.
The inquest, being held on Thursday Island, was told yesterday that despite being unqualified, Garry Chaston had insisted on training six skippers who were assigned to new Immigration patrol boats on October 15, 2005.
Following the training, Wilfred Baira was told to take the Malu Sara from Saibai Island, where the workshop had been held, to Badu, a voyage of 74km across open seas. Baira, Ted Harry, Valerie Faub, Flora Enosa and her four-year-old daughter Ethena died when the boat sank.
Asked yesterday about the sequence of events that led up to the Malu Sara tragedy, Immigration official Saliman Binjuda said much of the blame lay with his boss Mr Chaston, a former federal police officer who he said had a reputation for bullying staff.
Mr Binjuda, who had worked for 12 years at the Thursday Island Immigration Department office, was an experienced seaman who headed a team that looked after six Islanders who helped with border protection.
Mr Binjuda said he told his colleagues, including Mr Chaston, that he would be on holidays and could not conduct the training workshop at which the six Islanders were to be briefed on the new boats, which have since been found to be unseaworthy.
``I asked who would be conducting the vessel training and Garry informed me he would do it,'' Mr Binjuda said. ``I told him he had no qualifications or experience to be training these people and that it should be (fellow trainer) Jerry Stephen who conducted the training.
``Mr Chaston said he had made his decision on the training and that was final.
``I told Mr Chaston I did not believe the Badu vessel should travel to Saibai Island (for the training session) because Wildred Baira and Ted Harry had not received any training whatsoever in the operation of the vessel. They had only seen the prototype vessel.
``I was absent from Thursday Island until Saturday, October 16, and I could see the helicopter and emergency vessels and I said somebody must be in trouble, and then I heard there was a vessel missing on its way from Saibai Island and the Immigration workshop, and I said it would be the Badu boat.''
The inquest heard yesterday that feelings were running so high that Mr Chaston had been told his life would be in danger if he returned from Cairns, where he is now working, to Thursday Island to give evidence.
The claim was made by Mr Chaston's lawyer, Michael Fellows, who said he had also been warned about his security.
``That warning was given on the aeroplane coming up here by senior Australian Transport Safety Bureau officer Peter Foley,'' Mr Fellows said.
``My client is here and is responsible for his own security.''
The inquest continues
