SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT

The Hon. I.F. EVANS (Davenport) (15:13): Can the Minister for Families and Communities guarantee to the house that, when the Special Investigations Unit investigated Tom Easling, the whole of the investigation was conducted within the unit's powers and in accordance with the department's Special Investigations Unit Philosophy and Practice Guidelines?

On 21 June 2004, nearly six months after the Easling investigation commenced, and just weeks before Mr Easling's arrest, crown law wrote to the department regarding the powers of the Special Investigations Unit. The crown law advice states:

Employees of the Special Investigations Unit have, prime facie, very limited power to investigate matters arising from the care of children or alleged abuse of children.

It continues:

I am of the view therefore that it would be an essential prerequisite that the Special Investigations Unit be given delegated authority to investigate the alleged abuse of children.

It continues:

I am of the view that without either delegated authority to investigate under section 19 of the act, or specific statutory authority to investigate matters, the officers of the Special Investigations Unit would have very limited authority to question members of the public. They would certainly have no power to insist on people answering questions or to provide written or oral information about a child.

Both the department's Philosophy and Practice Guidelines in draft form in 2004, and in final form in 2007, state:

A special investigation will not include matters where a historical allegation is made and the alleged victim is over 18.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE (Wright—Minister for Families and Communities, Minister for Northern Suburbs, Minister for Housing, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Disability) (15:14): The role of the Special Investigations Unit is to look into issues to ensure that children who are under the guardianship of the minister are in safe places. We know that under the previous government's regime, under its rules, those powers were left with local managers, so people who were intimately involved with the children and with the carers conducted those assessments. It was decided that that needed to be done independently of the local officers, so the Special Investigations Unit was established.

Mrs Redmond interjecting:

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: They do not make their own rules. They are independent to ensure that our children are safe. This is what the focus has to be on. It would be really good if the member for Davenport actually concentrated on children's safety. I have to say that in certain circumstances each and every one of us would question whether our children would have been safe in Mr Easling's care.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: It is not a disgrace. We had people going into that house and finding semi-naked boys in his bed.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: If you want me to go into detail I can. It is very unsavoury.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!