South Australia Police

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:34): I will ask a supplementary, if I may. Has the minister made any inquiry as to whether the conduct I have just described constitutes criminal conduct?

The SPEAKER: I do not think the way the question has been reformulated has improved it at all. Essentially you are asking the minister to define the—

Ms CHAPMAN: It is to whether he sought advice, sir. Obviously the Crown Solicitor's Office is available to ministers to ascertain whether there is—

The SPEAKER: It would be very peculiar if the minister, having denied knowledge of it until he was contacted by The Advertiser, sought a legal opinion about something—

Ms CHAPMAN: There is a possibility. He could have got on the phone to the Crown Solicitor's Office straightaway and asked, 'Have we got a problem here?' Hello, Houston. Minister, could you explain—

The SPEAKER: The question, improbable as it may seem, has been asked and it will now be answered.

The Hon. A. PICCOLO (Light—Minister for Disabilities, Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (14:35): Given that the matter was independently investigated by the Police Ombudsman, if the Police Ombudsman thought there were any matters of a criminal nature, the ombudsman would make some reference to that. Given that it has been dealt with as a disciplinary matter and that the police commissioner responded to it as a disciplinary matter, a person who has a statutory obligation and a statutory right to investigate the matter has done so. They can do a better job than I can in that regard because they have the powers to do so.