STATE RECORDS

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:25): My question is again to the Premier. As the Premier has now had 21 days to get an answer, can he now advise whether a copy of every government email is stored in an external server, and does the server keep all email correspondence saved, as required by the State Records Act?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Treasurer, Minister for State Development, Minister for the Public Sector, Minister for the Arts) (14:26): I will address that part of the question for which I am responsible, which is the ICT matter. The other half of it is a matter for the Attorney, who looks after the State Records Act.

The Hon. I.F. Evans: Who looks after State Records?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: The Attorney. I look after the ICT part of government; the Attorney looks after State Records. In relation to the ICT matters, I think the methods by which the material is actually stored is canvassed at length within the Debelle report. There is a very thorough analysis about record keeping in relation to ICT records. There are back-up disks which I understand are made, and they are kept in accordance with the process that was outlined at length within the Debelle report.

In relation to this question of computers and their later use, it has always been the case that you don't hand a computer on to somebody else unless it has had the confidential material removed from it, or rendered inaccessible in relation to it. That has always been a matter that has been policy. Indeed, it was the policy under the previous government, just as it is the policy under this government.