Child Protection Reviews

Mr TEAGUE (Heysen) (14:30): My question is to the Premier. Is the Premier satisfied that the Alexander review responds to its terms of reference and, if so, how does it ensure that practices of the minister and the department align with their statutory obligations?

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (14:31): I thank the shadow minister for his question. Yes is the short answer. I think both the Hyde review and the Alexander review serve different purposes and have been worthwhile exercises. The government received both those reviews at essentially the same time and we have found them both to be instructive in different ways from different perspectives, in terms of the actions that the government should consider and indeed take in respect of the response to the tragedies that have been well documented.

Last week, the government announced its receipt of those reviews and its response to them, and we are grateful for both the former police commissioner Mal Hyde and indeed Kate Alexander undertaking her review. Naturally, having received those reviews, I have also spoken to both reviewers. I'm happy to inform the house that following the receipt of the review I also was fortuitously at a prearranged meeting with Margaret Nyland to discuss with her her royal commission report in the context of what has happened since then.

That was a meeting that was already scheduled and I just happened to get the review a couple of days before, so it actually worked out quite well. We discussed the various challenges within child protection, governance arrangements within child protection and the outcomes of the review. My office is seeking to arrange for a copy as best as possible if the appropriate authorities are able to be granted for Margaret Nyland to get an unredacted copy of that report, because obviously we have been able unable to release the report fully publicly in the way that I would have, quite frankly, hoped because of the advice from South Australian police. Nonetheless, we do still remain committed to releasing the report as quickly as we can once that advice from South Australian police changes.