Forensic Medical Examinations

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (15:25): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before addressing a question without notice to the Attorney-General regarding the provision of forensic medical exams.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: A forensic medical examination, something that many would refer to as a rape kit, is typically required for a person—a victim survivor—reporting sexual violence to the police and possibly seeking redress through our justice system in the courts. Medical professionals—doctors or nurses—are able to provide this health service if given the appropriate training, supports and, importantly, leadership to have a level of experience to ensure that the victim survivor is supported to have evidence that may later be used in our justice system through our courts processes, the training, of course, to include vicarious trauma for those health professionals.

That training is currently available from Yarrow Place in our state. The Attorney-General would well know this, and it has been the case for some time—that a model of care was developed, and this issue as a concern was identified well over a decade ago. In that time the Attorney-General from I believe 2012 through his department has funded work to ensure regional and remote medical doctors and nurses are trained and supported to provide this very important service, first through many health services—over 60 or so in the regions—but more specifically later on through the big four hospitals: Whyalla, Port Lincoln, Mount Gambier and Berri, that funding also going to ensure that appropriate counselling services are available.

It seems, however, that this work has recently fallen away, and I understand that you as Attorney-General may well have expressed concern regarding this matter in correspondence to the health minister. Through the current royal commission processes it has come to renewed public attention in recent days that for rural and regional victim survivors our current system is failing. When we say failing what that means is that they are not able to access forensic medical exams in their own community close to their supports, to their family, to their friends.

Indeed, prior to any forensic medical examination preservation of evidence is vital. That means where mouth swabs are required they may not be able to eat or drink. That means that where other examinations are required they may not be able to change or wash. Currently, where these forensic medical exams are not possible close to home it can then mean a victim survivor is forced not just for hours but sometimes for days to travel and have that traumatic content on their bodies, unable to eat, drink, wash or change for as long as days. My questions therefore to the Attorney-General are:

1. Does the Attorney-General find this acceptable, that currently a victim survivor of sexual violence is put through this system?

2. What is the current status of the scheme put in place by the Attorney-General's Department to ensure health professionals are appropriately trained and supported?

3. How many regional, rural and remote South Australians have been forced to travel more than an hour to access forensic medical examinations in the past financial year?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (15:28): I thank the honourable member for her question and for raising this issue. Of course, it is concerning when you hear of any factors that not just affect the charging and prosecution of sexual and violent offenders but then also affect the wellbeing of victim survivors who have bravely come forward.

As the honourable member has pointed out, there has been funding and initiatives put in place over the last decade to try to address this. I believe that South Australia's Health and Recovery Trauma Safety Services, which manages the Yarrow Place service, gave evidence in recent days to the Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence.

I do acknowledge there are difficulties and complexities in terms of the interaction between SA Health and SA Police about what needs to occur to give the best possible chance of a successful prosecution, particularly in terms of the collection of evidence. In a perfect world where there were facilities in every part of South Australia, it would mean that there would be more timely access to these facilities.

Off the top of my head—and I am happy to go and check on the figures—I think it might be somewhere around eight places in regional South Australia that have the ability to take the sort of forensic samples that are required, but I will double-check that. Certainly, I think the royal commission is probably an unparallelled opportunity to examine all of the factors that go towards making sure that victim survivors are supported and that we get the best possible chances for successful prosecution.

While we will keep going with initiatives that we have in place and look to make improvements, I certainly look forward to—and I think many others do—any suggestions that the royal commission will make in these areas.