BURNSIDE COUNCIL

The Hon. J.A. DARLEY (14:42): I seek leave to ask the Minister for State/Local Government Relations questions in relation to Burnside council, which I now refer to as the 'Burnsidegate affair'.

The PRESIDENT: Order! You sought leave to ask questions; did you want to make an explanation?

The Hon. J.A. DARLEY: Yes, sir.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.A. DARLEY: On 6 July I asked the minister whether the police commissioner received a draft copy of the MacPherson report and, if so, whether the minister could advise what action if any the commissioner took based on the information contained in that report. In his response the minister did not answer the question whether the commissioner had received a copy of the draft MacPherson report but instead stated that all allegations of corruption had been referred to the South Australia Police Anti-Corruption Branch, even prior to this investigation, and that there has never been evidence presented to the Anti-Corruption Branch that warranted further investigation. My questions to the minister are:

1. Does the minister now know whether the commissioner had received a draft copy or part of a draft copy of the report?

2. If the minister does not know can he undertake to find out and report back to parliament, with a response by tomorrow?

3. If the minister is unable to respond to the question of what action, if any, the police commissioner took based on the information contained in the report, can the minister undertake to refer this part of my question to the Minister for Police?

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (14:44): I note that the commissioner's office chose to issue a statement last Friday which completely undermined the wild accusations that were forwarded by the Hon. Stephen Wade. I will quote from that statement:

The commissioner has never had access to the full draft report, therefore the commissioner cannot determine whether it is appropriate for the draft report to be referred to SAPOL's Anti-Corruption Branch.

This is in contrast to what Stephen Wade said. The police commissioner has read the report and considers the allegations so substantial that they should be referred to the Anti-Corruption Branch. This is the misinformation and the preparedness of the Hon. Mr Wade to misrepresent the commissioner to score some cheap political points. I received an invitation from the police to refer the draft report to him, and I have done so.