Grievance Debate

Chemotherapy Treatment Error

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (15:10): Today, we have heard from the Premier his determination of what happened with Mr Knox in their meeting yesterday. He would have you believe that, although he had not said 'I'm sorry' in just those words, he made it clear to us today that he had connected with Mr Knox, that they obviously had a good conversation and that he had not read the material that had been provided to him by Mr Knox but that he had a briefing on it. They were able to discuss the issue in question, in particular whether there should be a judicial inquiry, that he had presented the government's preliminary review on that matter and that all of it was left in some state of harmony. What a far cry from the truth that was.

This is just another example of what we see as Dr Jay and Mr Hyde. He comes in here and he presents to us as though he cares about these people. Just remember a few weeks ago when he came in to say, 'My government has put $1 million on the table. We are going to be model litigants. We are going to protect the interests of these people who have suffered. It's been a scandalous affair. We will clean it up. There will be no penny-pinching on legal costs. We will make sure these people are provided for.' What a disgraceful turnabout that turned out to be.

The legal fees had not been paid. Clearly, the government agency has not acted as model litigants. They started with a stingy $10,000 each and that was it. They had refused to pay legal costs. Even in question time the next day, before it came to light, when they found out they had not, they quickly rang up the lawyers to say that they would pay the legal fees for the family of the person who passed away.

That is what actually happens: he goes on radio, he comes into this parliament, he tells the people of South Australia in a quietly spoken dignified way about how he cares about the people of South Australia. When exposed, they cover it up, but when he is challenged, they refuse to be placed under scrutiny or have any inquiry. Let's have a look at what Mr Knox said on radio this morning about what he said happened at this meeting. He said:

Quite frankly, I was shocked. It was a meeting that probably would have been better off if it hadn’t taken place.... he took an adversarial position—

referring to the Premier—

like a lawyer lecturing his opponent. There was not an iota of empathy, sympathy or apology. There seemed to be two personas—one that he portrayed in parliament and the one I saw last night was rather unbecoming...I’m still not over it, I’m shattered by his approach…I had to take…charge of the discussion because nothing was forthcoming.

On the question of judicial inquiry, he said:

What I wanted was the royal commission or at the very least a judicial inquiry and I expected that he would empathetically at least listen to our argument. That wasn’t the case. It was a case of putting me in my place…this attitude and what we see continuing going on, the denial and deceit at an institutional, administrative level. The public cannot consider themselves to be safe in the public hospital system. So it’s on their head and it’s on the conscious of the Premier and the next time one of these things happen.

On another radio station this morning, he outlined his concern. He said:

I’ve been up most of the night trying to respond to the letter that he wants me to write to justify my position. He showed no empathy, no contrition, no apology, none of that which he spruiked in the Parliament; it was completely absent. I was sitting next to a rock and all he wanted to do was to tell me I was wrong. As I say, I’m just astounded; the public have every reason to be fearful for their safety in this system…It would have been better that the meeting never occurred for the victims…I cannot believe the way he sat there and the way he looked at me yesterday, that was disgraceful…But to be sent away like a schoolboy and saying, well write me an essay on why I should consider what you, what you say is…yeh, it is rubbish.

This man actually left that meeting with that impression: that he had been sent away like a naughty schoolboy to write up a summary. The man had already explained and provided several letters of detail about his concern about what happened. And what has happened? Let us just remind ourselves about what happened. We have had multiple victims misadministered in relation to this chemotherapy error. It is discovered. It is covered up. The CEO has jumped off to Sydney.

In the meantime, he has told us that he had not been told the whole truth about the full extent. We have the government playing hardball on compensation. We have the Premier who sweeps in to offer $1 million on the table and then we find out that when he says, 'I will sit down with the victims, I will sit down with Belinda Valentine, I will sit down with these people,' they are treated with such disgust.

Time expired.