Legislative Council Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2) 54 2 Parliament of South Australia Legislative Council published Question Time Safeguarding Taskforce Safeguarding Taskforce The Hon. K.J. MAHER Legislative Council Leader of the Opposition Safeguarding Taskforce The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Leader of the Opposition) (14:46): Supplementary question arising from the answer: minister, why did you establish this task force? The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK Legislative Council Minister for Human Services Safeguarding Taskforce The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (Minister for Human Services) (14:46): I think these are already matters of public comment on numerous occasions. We established this task force. I have done— Members interjecting: The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. K.J. Maher interjecting: The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: Order! The honourable Leader of the Opposition, this is your supplementary question. You are not going to get an answer unless you give the minister an opportunity to answer. Members interjecting: The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: Order, the Hon. Mr Hunter! Minister, please continue. The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK Legislative Council The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: Thank you, Mr President. I note the Labor Party whip giggling on the backbench at a time— The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: Minister, I will sort that out. Members interjecting: The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. I.K. Hunter Legislative Council The Hon. I.K. Hunter: Hand the job over to someone else. The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: Order, the Hon. Mr Hunter! Minister, please continue. The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK Legislative Council The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: —what has been a very challenging time for everyone concerned. I have made so many comments on this issue, and clearly we established the task force very quickly. I might point out that we didn't do what the Labor Party did when it came to Oakden. We did not follow the Labor approach of Oakden— Members interjecting: The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK Legislative Council The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: —where the health minister and the minister for mental health and disabilities— Members interjecting: The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK Legislative Council The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: —received letters from family members— Members interjecting: The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: Order! Government benches and opposition benches! The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK Legislative Council The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: —and they didn't do anything with them for months and months on end. The Hon. E.S. Bourke Legislative Council The Hon. E.S. Bourke: What did you say in here about that? The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: Order, the Hon. Ms Bourke! The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK Legislative Council The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: This matter of Ann Marie Smith, while she was an NDIS client she was a South Australian citizen and therefore the South Australian government has acted very quickly to establish a task force to frankly and fearlessly look into all the issues of safeguarding, which they, through their lived experience, are able to identify and provide reports on, which we have submitted to the commonwealth and which we are acting on ourselves.