Child Protection

Ms HILDYARD (Reynell) (14:17): My question is again to the Minister for Child Protection. Can the minister confirm she was low down on her department's notification list? With your leave and that of the house, Mr Speaker, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Ms HILDYARD: On 17 September 2020, the minister stated she was, and I quote, 'very low down on the notification list' of people notified of critical incidents.

The Hon. R. SANDERSON (Adelaide—Minister for Child Protection) (14:18): I thank the member for her question. As a result of the Ann Marie Smith incident earlier this year, we were all tasked to go and have a look at the policy regarding significant incidents. It was at that time I saw that I was lower down the critical incident list than I would have expected. I can only assume this was the policy of the previous government that was still in place. It was the policy that was already there—put it that way.

We moved to change that so that I will be notified higher up. That was finalised and printed in May of this year after the incident occurred, which was in January. It is my expectation that for an incident of this significant nature I would be notified earlier.