Open justice
Justice done in public is the ordinary rule, not the exception
Courts in South Australia sit in public because open justice protects everyone: the accused, the victims, and the public's ability to see that the law was applied properly. Secrecy is meant to be the narrow exception, granted for a reason and only for as long as that reason lasts.
The problem
Parts of this history are still closed to the public
Four of these five deaths have never produced a murder conviction. Some records, names and findings connected to the cases cannot lawfully be published today because suppression orders remain in force — decades after the events they concern.
Families have lived with that silence for more than forty years. Some have died without ever being told what the record contains about the death of their own child.
The campaign does not claim to know what is behind every order. That is precisely the point: no one outside the process can know, which is why a review has to be asked for rather than argued in public.
What we ask for
Four requests, made lawfully
- 1
Review every suppression order still in force
Ask the proper authorities to examine each order connected to these cases and decide, on the current facts, whether it is still necessary.
- 2
Lift the orders that no longer serve a purpose
Where an order was made to protect a trial that has long finished, or a person who is no longer living, the reason for secrecy may have gone even though the order remains.
- 3
Give families a written status for each case
Families are entitled to know where each investigation stands, in writing, in plain language.
- 4
Account for the state's records
Ask what material is held, by whom, and under what authority it is withheld.
What we will not do
This site obeys every order in force
Until an order is lifted, we comply with it. We will not publish a suppressed identity, we will not hint at one, and we ask supporters not to do so either — in comments, in messages to us, or anywhere else.
Breaching a suppression order is a criminal offence, and it would damage the very cause this campaign exists to serve.
Support the legal costs
Debi Marshall’s GoFundMe supports the legal effort to seek the lifting of suppression orders connected to the Adelaide Family Murders.
The fundraiser says donations will help cover court filing fees, transcripts, other running costs and possible costs awarded against the application. Read the full appeal and funding arrangements on GoFundMe before donating.
Support the legal costs on GoFundMe (opens in a new tab)Donations are handled securely on GoFundMe. This website does not collect payment details. Donating is optional; you can also support the campaign by signing and sharing the petition.