Chemotherapy Treatment Error

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:10): My question is to the Premier. Can the Premier advise the house whether he had read the material provided by the chemotherapy bungle victim Andrew Knox prior to his meeting with Mr Knox yesterday?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier) (14:10): Yes, I had a briefing about those matters and—

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Yes, I—

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —considered some of the material. I don't have as detailed a knowledge about it as the minister.

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: I am on my feet. I must remind the members that we do need to make sure that answers are heard in silence, and it would be easier for me to hear them if there were no interjections on the left. Thank you, Premier.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: I had considered those elements of the material that directly bore on the question that I was being asked to consider at the meeting, which is the question of whether there should be a judicial inquiry. Much of our discussions at the meeting really swung around that question. A lot of the material, frankly, that Mr Knox did provide to me actually dealt with other matters that are now the subject of—

Mr Gardner: Is this why he said you lacked empathy?

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —dealt with other matters, but the meeting itself confined itself to the question of the judicial inquiry. At the end of the meeting, I invited him to supplement the material that he had given me on this question—

An honourable member: Write another letter.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —and he has since done that. He has since provided that additional information.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: It is actually very hard to see whose lips are moving from here, but I will have to start taking a great deal more notice of it. Member for Elder.