Telegraph Point’s Stephen Quintano says he will continue to fight for justice and compensation for his son Luke who suffered serious long term injuries after a nightclub shooting in Sydney over 14 years ago.
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Despite getting knocked back at every turn, Mr Quintano says he’s ‘got 10 good years left in me’ to keep fighting.
The latest setback for the family came just last week when an Act of Grace application was declined by the federal government.
Despite the decision, Mr Quintano remained focused.
“The government, in my view, is going around the issue,” he said.
“The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) and Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) has skirted around the issue. In my view it is blatantly disgraceful.
“They did nothing at all. They should have acted immediately to freeze the assets of the nightclub and its insurers.”
In 2002 Luke was shot in the head outside a Sydney nightclub. A court awarded him more than $4 million in damages but the nightclub and its insurer went into liquidation leaving the family to cover all costs associated with Luke's care.
And this is the very point where Mr Quintano says the system, the bureaucracy designed to protect its residents, has failed.
"In my opinion, APRA and ASIC should have frozen the assets of the nightclub and the insurer involved and looked after us as Australian people,” he said.
"Instead, the nightclub and the insurer were not deregistered for another six months.”
Mr Quintano said he didn’t believe he was receiving the necessary support from the government.
“We haven’t given up the fight. I’m never giving up,” he added.
Mr Quintano said he has asked for a face to face meeting with federal MP Luke Hartsuyker and would also consider attending a November 21 meeting in Canberra called by the Bank Reform Now movement.
Mr Hartsuyker’s office confirmed Mr Quintano’s application for an ‘Act of Grace’ has been declined.
