Question Time

SOCIAL INCLUSION UNIT

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:28): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for the Status of Women a question regarding Monsignor David Cappo's Social Inclusion Unit.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Monsignor David Cappo is Labor Prime Minister Julia Gillard's new mental health chief. He leaves his current position (for which, by the way, he is paid $115,000 a year for this part-time work) as head of soon-to-be ousted Labor Premier Mike Rann's Social Inclusion Unit. However, he leaves a fractured staff. More than half of the unit's 12 staff are suffering stress of such magnitude they need professional help. I am given to understand that Monsignor Cappo was unable or unwilling to resolve the mess. I am further given to understand that the majority of staff in the unit are women.

The Social Inclusion Initiative claims to help create 'a society where all people feel valued, their differences are respected and their basic needs, both physical and emotional, are met'. My questions are:

1. When did the minister become aware of the serious problem facing the predominately female staff working in that unit?

2. Has the minister met with either Monsignor Cappo and/or any of the female staff in a unit that is clearly not making them feel valued or meeting their physical and social needs, especially in the workplace?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Public Sector Management, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister for Gambling) (14:29): I thank the honourable member for his questions, although they are obviously ill-directed. Nevertheless, he has been in this place for such a long period of time and he still cannot work out the policy and portfolio responsibilities.

In relation to the first question about when I first became aware of there being any issues in relation to the Social Inclusion Unit, an article in, I think, yesterday's newspaper was the first time that anybody or anyone had given me any indication that there were any issues in relation to that unit. To the best of my knowledge, I have received no correspondence or any other form of communication raising any issues of concern about staff in that particular unit. Other than an article that I think was in The Advertiser yesterday, and the inflammatory statements made by the member in the house today, he is the only person, to the best of my knowledge, who has raised this issue with me directly.

In relation to the staff being predominately female, that is an assertion the honourable member has made. I would not know that. It is not a unit that I have any responsibility for. I would not know in other agencies what the proportion of staff is. I do care about women's issues—of course I do. I bring them here regularly but, given that nobody, including any of the women who might work in that unit, has raised any issues of concern with me, it would be somewhat difficult for me to pursue such issues.

I think it is obviously a bit of a whip-up by the opposition. They are highly inflammatory statements. We know that members come here and members opposite make things up as they go along. We know how they embellish. We know how they do not check their facts. Time and time again we have members of the opposition come into this place with incorrect information, inaccurate facts and figures, and assertions that are quite simply incorrect. They are lazy.

They are a lazy, indifferent opposition. They do not do their research. They fail to check any of their facts. I recall that not long ago the Hon. Rob Lucas accused me of attending some event and function that I did not attend. We see time and time again members coming into this place making all sorts of snide innuendo. Time and time again they do not check their facts and fail to do any of their research, because we know they are a lazy, indifferent opposition.

If there are any issues of concern in that office—if there are—we have a range of support systems in place to assist, as government is the employer. We have a range of things in place to support staff. There are systems in place that allow staff to make complaints. There are systems in place to assist people to counsel. We have occ health and safety legislation in place. There is a wide range.

We have a public sector that is very close to being right up there in terms of best practice, and I am very proud of our track record. So, if there are any issues of concern, I am confident that the appropriate minister will be pursuing those and that any problems, if they do exist, will be being addressed in an appropriate and timely way.