Ministerial Statement

CHILD PROTECTION

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE (Wright—Minister for Education and Child Development, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (14:01): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: On Sunday 29 September, the Premier was contacted by a former student regarding false allegations made against him of accessing a variety of inappropriate websites on a school computer in 2004. This matter was referred to my office the next day on 1 October. Since this matter was referred to my office by the Premier's office, my staff and the chief executive personally have been in regular contact with this young man. The department has been extremely receptive to this young man's concerns. The chief executive has been actively looking into these matters.

Given the historical nature of the events in question, time was needed to gather all relevant documents and to determine the facts of the matter. All aspects of the investigation and conclusions reached and all circumstances regarding the history of this matter are currently being compiled. Today, the Premier has also spoken personally with the young man, at his request. As the Premier noted this morning, and as was reiterated to the young man today, the government will not be seeking to enforce any confidentiality conditions he may feel bound by.

We will be ensuring, as we have been at every step of the way since being contacted by the young man, that these matters are fully investigated and properly resolved. The young man was also encouraged to raise any potential criminal matters with the police, which I understand he has done, and the teacher has been stood down. I want to reassure the house that the Premier and I, along with the chief executive, are doing all we can to address the issues raised by the young man and are committed to the full and complete resolution of this matter.