Police Workers Compensation

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:11): I have a further question to the Minister for Police. Did the minister or anyone in his office read or prepare or edit or amend or approve a letter dated 13 November 2015 from the police commissioner to the Police Association on the proposed amendments to workers compensation?

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, Minister for Child Protection Reform) (14:11): Thank you, Mr Speaker, I will just finish what I was saying.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Minister, you may well do that, but you are supposed to answer the substance of the question and you have been asked a different question.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Yes, and I will answer it but, in doing so, I just need to lay the groundwork as to the circumstances and the context. I don't know whether PASA ever actually sat down properly with the commissioner either to have a chat with the commissioner about—

Mr GARDNER: Point of order, sir. The minister is continuing his answer as he threatened to do; he is ignoring your instruction. Under 137 there are steps you can take for obstruction.

The SPEAKER: I will listen carefully, but the minister appears to be constructing the foundations of a germane answer.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: I am. I am laying the groundwork, because the groundwork is very important. The situation is that Mr Brokenshire coordinates with PASA—not police officers, PASA—to press the go button on what had already been planned as a premeditated campaign to go over a fortnight or so, with a climax to be today—

Ms CHAPMAN: Point of order: I am not interested in a campaign by another member of parliament. I am interested in an answer as to whether the minister or his office—

The SPEAKER: The deputy leader is called to order for not making a point of order but making an impromptu speech. Deputy Premier, can you be quick with those foundations?

The Hon. J.R. RAU: They are nearly all there, Mr Speaker. What then transpired is that the bill introduced in the other place by Mr Brokenshire at the behest of the police would have the effect of actually picking all of the good bits out of the old scheme and an economic loss payment of a considerable amount of money (up to about $450,000) from the new scheme, putting them all together and creating this new super scheme.

Mr GARDNER: Point of order: he is not being quick with his foundations at all, sir.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: I am on the cusp of it, Mr Speaker. The point is that the letter from the police commissioner actually points that out—

Ms Chapman: How do you know? Did you read it?

The Hon. J.R. RAU: —because I actually read a transcript this morning.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Yes.

Ms Chapman: Who wrote the letter?

The SPEAKER: The deputy leader is warned, and it would be a pity if she went because I believe she has other questions.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: I read a transcript this morning of a radio interview with Mr Carroll and one of the media personalities at which time Mr Carroll explained what the police commissioner had said in that interview, and Mr Carroll said that the police commissioner does not agree with us because he thinks this is over the top and he doesn't think this is a good thing. I am paraphrasing but that is the gist of it.

Now, as to the question about the police commissioner. Mr Speaker, I am reliably informed that there is no possibility of the police commissioner being told to do anything by the police minister or me; he is perfectly capable of writing his own letters.

The SPEAKER: Other than it be in writing.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Indeed, and there is no direction under the Police Act so far as I am aware. And so the situation is, Mr Speaker, that I think the notion that the police commissioner would be receiving a direction from any minister in the government to write a letter of that type is as insulting to the minister as it is to the police commissioner; and, incidentally, PASA should actually apologise to the police commissioner for having suggested that he has such disregard for his officers that he would take no steps to try to ensure that an officer who has been severely injured in the course of his duties would not be looked after when, in fact, the police commissioner took those steps back in August before this campaign even began.

The SPEAKER: There is the superstructure. The deputy leader.