Ministerial Statement

Royal Adelaide Show Incident

The Hon. J.R. RAU (Enfield—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Justice Reform, Minister for Planning, Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Minister for Industrial Relations) (14:07): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: A tragic incident occurred at the Royal Adelaide Show on Friday 12 September, which led to the death of an eight-year-old girl. I would like to express my sincere condolences to the child's family and friends, who are affected by this tragic loss. It causes me great sadness that what should have been a fun day out for this family has ended in such a devastating way. As a parent, I am very concerned that we should have one of these rides involved in a serious incident. It could have been my children; it could have been anyone.

It is critical that all of us have the confidence that these events are managed to achieve the highest standards of safety. Amusement ride operators must ensure that they understand and comply with nationally mandated safety standards to maintain, install and safely operate these amusement rides. They must also meet their work health and safety obligations to keep patrons and workers safe. By law, show ride operators are obliged to have the rides checked by a professional engineer to demonstrate to safety regulators that the rides are properly maintained. They also need to train their operators and ensure that they are competent to supervise access to the rides.

Within that context, SafeWork SA is undertaking a comprehensive investigation. Investigators are working closely with South Australia Police, the Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society of South Australia, and the operators of the device where the incident occurred. They will examine every avenue of inquiry to establish exactly what happened and to prevent any recurrence. It would be inappropriate for me to discuss the specific details of the investigation while it is underway, given information gathered may later be used as evidence in legal proceedings.