Safeguarding Taskforce Interim Report

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Leader of the Opposition) (14:53): Final supplementary arising from the original answer: minister, apart from broad principles of what sharing information is, is the minister actually aware of the information sharing guidelines referred to in the task force report?

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (Minister for Human Services) (14:54): They are the matters that enable the Department of Human Services to mutually share information with the Quality and Safeguards Commission. I note that he has a copy of the 2013 state Ombudsman's information sharing guidelines, which all state agencies apply to, and they are all very similar principles.

The commonwealth government has privacy laws which can sometimes be an obstacle to them sharing information, but in these particular matters the Department of Human Services needs to be provided with timely information about people who may present a risk if they are able to continue working to provide services to vulnerable people.