McGowan, Dr C.

Mr PICTON (Kaurna) (14:11): My question is to the Premier. Would an independent investigator appointed by the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment to investigate Dr Chris McGowan have any legal powers and, if so, what legal powers would that independent investigator have?

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Point of order, sir: the structure of that question seems to me to be hypothetical.

The SPEAKER: Technically the minister is correct. Would the member for Kaurna like to rephrase?

Mr PICTON: Thank you, sir. I ask my question to the Premier. What powers will the independent investigator have to investigate Dr Chris McGowan?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (14:12): Unlike those opposite, I have every confidence in Ms Erma Ranieri, the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment.

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Leader!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I note that the Leader of the Opposition—

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Leader of the Opposition, order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I note that the Leader of the Opposition loves to come in here—

Mr Brown interjecting:

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

Mr Picton: What legal powers?

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

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Clearly the Leader of the Opposition is not satisfied with the work that the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment is doing—

Mr Brown interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Playford is warned.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —but, quite frankly, we on this side of the house have every confidence that Ms Erma Ranieri is conducting her work—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Cheltenham! Member for Wright!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —and we will leave the scope up to her. We note that this was pointed out—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The members for Elizabeth and Ramsay are called to order.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Let's just revisit this issue one further time. We note that Dr Chris McGowan referred himself to the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment. We asked Ms Ranieri to look at this issue.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: She has made a decision to appoint an independent investigator. We support that decision. I would also like to update the house that yesterday I might have indicated that the independent panel that appointed Dr McGowan to the position of Chief Executive of SA Health had conducted advertising for that position. I am now informed that, in fact, the independent panel that was put in place to oversee that recruitment referred to an earlier search the previous government had done, a national and international search that the previous government had done.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: It was available to them to go out to the market further, but they chose not to. They made the recommendation and Dr McGowan was appointed.