Chemotherapy Treatment Error

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:15): My question is to the Premier. Can the Premier provide this house with any plausible explanation as to why a man who was in remission after a government chemotherapy bungle was sent away to write the Premier a summary letter when he was already in the room meeting with this man face to face?

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! I cannot hear if there is noise on my left.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier) (14:15): Because Mr Knox has chosen to communicate on occasions—

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The leader is called to order.

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: I am on my feet. The leader is called to order.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: It is, I think, polite at the end of a meeting, especially a meeting that—

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Premier.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: I think it is polite at the end of a meeting when you have had an opportunity to speak to somebody, especially somebody who is under an enormous amount of pressure, to ask them whether they would like to supplement anything that—

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The member for Unley is called to order and the leader is warned for the first time.

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The leader will be warned.

Mr Pederick interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The member for Hammond is called to order.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: I offered to meet Mr Knox the last time we had these proceedings, and sadly he was unable to meet me on that occasion. I offered to meet with him as soon as we possibly could, and we got together the other day. I was rather detained with other matters in this house, and I certainly met—

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: I remind members that it is my onerous duty to maintain the order of the house and that members need to be able to ask and answer their questions without interruption or obstruction of the business of the house. We will get much more done today if we could just manage to keep the noise down on my left and on my right. Premier.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: We had a cordial meeting, and I think we were able to clarify some of the issues that were discussed in this house some time ago about the question of legal fees and the way in which an offer was made or not made. I think I noticed in the letter that that doesn't remain apparently an issue of dispute that Mr Knox wishes to raise, but I hope I was able to satisfy him about that issue. There seemed to be just a misunderstanding that was subsequently clarified by my request for SAICORP to give a clear offer and make it clear that there was an offer of legal costs. I hope that was clarified. Notwithstanding all of that—

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Members on my left, order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Deputy Speaker, those who know the answer to the question, perhaps they—

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Well, if they are going to speak over the top of you they won't hear you, so just continue.

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: The format of the meeting was to understand why Mr Knox presses for a judicial inquiry. I told him that our position, our preliminary position, was that there was no need for it because there are a series of processes in place, including the—

Mr Gardner interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The member for Morialta is called to order.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —Villis Marshall review that had been undertaken.

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The deputy leader is called to order.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: The reference to AHPRA, and then of course the disciplinary processes that are going on and, indeed, the fact that there is a select committee that's on foot in the upper house.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: So, all of those processes are working their way through, where I invited him to explain to me what other matters that he felt were being unaddressed, and we are carefully working through those matters. Now, we remain open. As I told him at the meeting, we remain open for there to be a judicial inquiry, but we are presently disposed not to believe that that's necessary.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The member for Morphett, the member for—

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The deputy leader is warned for the first time, the member for Morphett is warned for the first time, and the member for Morialta is warned for the first time.