Victim Support Service

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:29): My question is to the Attorney-General. Why was the employment of Julian Roffe, as chief executive of the Victim Support Service, terminated on 24 April this year?

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) (14:30): I thank the honourable member for her question. Perhaps if I can just help the house with a bit of background. As I understand it, that organisation is an organisation which, along with many others, seeks some financial support from government funding sources—in particular, I think, the Victims of Crime Fund. That is the nature and extent of the relationship between that organisation and the state government. It is otherwise—

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Unley is warned.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: It is otherwise a completely separate, autonomous, self-directing entity and it manages itself according to its own lights and its own rules. Whether or not they have had issues with any of their staff, whether they be a director or otherwise, is a matter that is particularly known to them and not to me.

They are, as I said, separate from government. They are not controlled by government. They are not appointed by government, and I would have thought if there are issues relating to the behaviour of members of that organisation, then I would expect there would be some sort of process in train, probably initiated by those people who have a grievance. Some of those might conceivably be on the public record, but that is a matter for those individuals and it's not a matter over which I have any control.