Oakden Mental Health Facility

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (15:06): A further supplementary to the Minister for Mental Health: notwithstanding that the costs of this investigation aren't known at this point, did the minister consider directing that those resources be applied towards crown law actually doing the investigation, or weren't you consulted on that issue?

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) (15:06): I think I explained previously that there are a range of circumstances in which the ordinary course of events, which is the crown advising the government, is departed from, and there are a range of reasons why that should occur. Given that that decision-making is, in part at least, a matter for the Crown Solicitor, the appropriate place for those questions to be directed is through the Crown Solicitor's Office. I am happy to take the questions. I am happy to refer them on to the—

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: I don't personally deal with the decisions that are made, obviously, by the Crown Solicitor and not by me, and I imagine that there are a great many of them being put forward or determined one way or another by the Crown Solicitor all the time. This is the ordinary course of business for government.

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: There may well be.

Members interjecting:

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

The Hon. J.R. RAU: I would be happy to take one question at a time. But, as I am saying, what happens—if people are interested in the answer, I would be happy to share it with you—is that the situation is that from time to time there are circumstances in which, as I was explaining, it is useful, appropriate or necessary for a third-party legal adviser, somebody who is not part and parcel of government, to provide assistance to government. There can be many reasons for that.

Mr Marshall: But what is the reason in this case?

The Hon. J.R. RAU: I am going to stick with the question that has actually been asked of me because since I have been attempting to answer the first question the Leader of the Opposition has fired off five or six other questions which are tangentially connected with the first. I am attempting to answer the first.

Mr Marshall: What a lot of rubbish!

The Hon. J.R. RAU: So, what I will be doing—

The SPEAKER: The leader is on two warnings.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: There you are. What I will be doing now is getting the crown to have a look at this series of questions from the deputy leader and asking them to provide me with information which will enable me to assist the house by answering those to the best of our ability.