Member for Waite

Dr CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:17): My question is to the Attorney-General. Did the Attorney-General inform the Premier that the member for Waite had slapped the Hon. Connie Bonaros MLC?

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General) (14:17): I thank the member for the question because it does give me the opportunity to confirm, in relation to this matter, that I had received a text message from the Hon. Connie Bonaros to contact her on 16 December last year. I did so. She conveyed to me particulars of some of the matters that she had experienced on the 13^th. What was described was unwelcome and unacceptable.

Consistent with what the Premier has just indicated, I conveyed my concern that should any person who was involved and present and had been in a similar position at that event, she could provide them with my mobile phone number and I would be happy to provide whatever support they would need. That is entirely consistent with what I have done, frankly, on a number of occasions in the time I have been in the parliament.

I have maintained a position of ensuring that the particulars of what is conveyed to me by anyone who has been aggrieved by conduct remains confidential. I don't propose to traverse what information was provided. I just indicate to the house that I was satisfied that the information was of the circumstances of that event—that there were unwelcome approaches and they were unacceptable.

Whilst that may be a subjective matter, in relation to whoever might be aggrieved by that, it was not for me to either inquire into or make a judgement on. What's important in these circumstances is that there is some follow-up, which is what I had offered to do and which was agreed to be done. It was done.

Dr CLOSE: Supplementary, Mr Speaker.

The SPEAKER: I will move to the member for Heysen and then I will come back to the deputy leader.