Question Time

Child Protection Department

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:20): My question is to the Minister for Child Protection Reform. Why has the department for child protection not yet been split from the education department as promised on 21 June following the recommendation from the interim royal commission report?

The Hon. J.R. RAU (Enfield—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Justice Reform, Minister for Planning, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Child Protection Reform, Minister for the Public Sector, Minister for Consumer and Business Services, Minister for the City of Adelaide) (14:20): I thank the leader for his question. The splitting of the child protection function from its existing home, which is with education, is something which requires a machinery of government change of some reasonable complexity.

Mr Pisoni: Whose idea was it to put it together?

The SPEAKER: The member for Unley is called to order.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: There have been people working on the machinery of government changes that will be necessary. That has been occurring since that time. There has also been a fairly exhaustive search for a suitable candidate to take on the role of the chief executive of that new agency. My understanding is that she will start work—

Mr Gardner interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta is warned for the second and final time.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: My understanding is that she will commence duties on 31 October, and therefore, out of an abundance of caution, we have said that we will be working to have it ready to go on 1 November at the latest. If we can do something in a shorter time, we will, but that would necessarily mean we would have an interval where the new department was sitting in a position where it had an acting chief executive for a period of time from its inception.

Mr Knoll interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Schubert is warned for the second and final time.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: It would seem to me that having a department start with an acting chief executive known by everybody to be about to be replaced may not be the best way to start. That said, if we can achieve the necessary changes in terms of machinery of government, then they will occur when they can.

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Unley is warned.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: We have said that we will endeavour to be in a position at a minimum where when the new chief executive comes on board, she will have a new agency to take charge of.