CHILD PROTECTION

Mr PISONI (Unley) (15:16): My question is to the Minister for Education and Child Development. After a concerned parent phoned the minister's office raising the alarm in relation to the alleged child sex offender operating at a southern suburbs gymnastics centre, why did the minister wait a month before contacting police?

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE (Wright—Minister for Education and Child Development, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (15:16): These are the same questions that we had last time—

Mr Pisoni: Sorry to inconvenience you, but it is a fairly important issue.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: The fact of the matter is when the parent contacted our office, they did not know whether anyone had been charged or not. They were trying—

Mr Pisoni: And you didn't tell them; you hid behind section 71A. You got it wrong.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: They were trying to find out whether that was the case or not. Quite frankly, we were operating on the basis of rumour. Nevertheless, if what this parent was saying was true, we were concerned that someone would have bail conditions that allowed them to have access to children. That is why I contacted the Attorney-General and the Minister for Police: firstly, to ensure the bail conditions were being complied with and, secondly, to close a gap in the legislation. I am pleased to say that within two months we had legislation in this house to fix it.