Childers backpacker arsonist has parole application denied
Queensland arsonist Robert Long, who set fire to the Palace backpackers hostel in Childers 21 years ago, has had his appeal for parole denied.
The hostel in Childers, 300 kilometres north of Brisbane, went up in flames in June 2000.
The Palace backpackers hostel in Childers was gutted in the blaze in 2000.
The fire claimed 15 names, mostly of overseas travellers who had come to harvest local crops.
A petition against Long’s application to keep him behind bars attracted more than 20,000 signatures.
Acting Premier Steven Miles said he supported the parole board’s decision not to approve his request to be released.
“I know that the wounds from that particular incident still run deep not just in Childers but around the state, the country and indeed the world,” he said.
“Fifteen lives were lost, so to the extent that I can have a personal opinion, I would endorse what the parole board have decided to do.
“That was a heinous, heinous crime … an awful crime, one of Queensland’s worst, and I do not think there would be many Queenslanders clamouring for him to be released.”
Jocelyn Garcia is a journalist at the Brisbane Times, covering breaking news.
Lydia Lynch is Queensland political reporter for the Brisbane Times