CHILD PROTECTION INQUIRY

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:56): Supplementary. Premier: why, then, did cabinet get a briefing at all, given your statement that cabinet plays no role in parole submissions except for life sentences?

The SPEAKER: That is not a supplementary. We will just treat it as another question.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Treasurer, Minister for State Development, Minister for the Public Sector, Minister for the Arts) (14:57): Perhaps I will just go back and do this the long way. It was anticipated that, because this was a notorious matter—an awful assault with somebody being convicted and at some point a person would potentially have the capacity to be paroled—and, given that this was related to the matters that were the subject of the Debelle inquiry, it was anticipated by people assisting us to prepare to respond to the Debelle inquiry that somebody may ask the question, 'How does one make a representation in respect of parole?' A request was made to the Attorney-General's Department to provide advice so that we would be in a position to know the answer to that question.

As it happens, in the ordinary course, government does make representations—through the police and through Corrections—and then, on other occasions, if requested to by the Parole Board, other people can make representations but, ordinarily, it is a matter that is instigated by the Parole Board. We were then equipped to answer questions should somebody ask us about that. There was never any consideration for the cabinet or the government to be making its own representations in respect of a parole matter, or this parole matter.