CHILD PROTECTION INQUIRY

Mr PISONI (Unley) (15:15): Again, my question is to the Minister for Education and Child Development. Why has the government appointed another consultant to attempt to fix the education department, and will the government guarantee that the Peter Allen inquiry will publicly report before the next election?

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE (Wright—Minister for Education and Child Development, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (15:15): Yes, I can say that we expect Mr Allen to undertake his work in a very speedy fashion. We have commenced three things in relation to the Debelle inquiry: we have a senior working group, under the auspices of the Attorney-General, to oversee the implementation of the across-government recommendations of Mr Debelle; we have the work that Mr Bartley has to undertake in relation to looking at the performance of the people under his direction; and we have Peter Allen appointed, who comes with a range of experiences—significant and appropriate experiences—to help us deal with the issues I think are fundamental to this, and that is the care and support and response we provide if an event occurs in a school.

I think that it is without doubt that parents were let down, and I understand completely their frustration and their anger. I have given some of the parents I have met with an undertaking that, once we get over the release of the report, I will come back to them when they have settled emotionally, and I am happy to work through with them their particular circumstances and take their advice about the sorts of supports that need to be in place and the way in which those supports are provided so that they do truly meet the needs of our families. I think that it is fair to say that in every case circumstances are different and individuals' needs are different, and we need to have a system in place in our schools that can be responsive to the needs of each individual family.