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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-07-14 Daily Xml
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PAROLE BOARD

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg) (15:01): My question is also to the Attorney-General. Will the Attorney now apologise to the chair of the Parole Board, Frances Nelson QC, for his personal remarks on Friday, when he said on the evening news that Ms Nelson was 'on holidays and perhaps she should get off her high horse and explain'? It was confirmed yesterday that Ms Nelson was attending a family bereavement, and also had not been chairing the Parole Board that made the decision in respect of the release of Shane Robinson.

The Hon. M.J. ATKINSON (Croydon—Attorney-General, Minister for Justice, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Veterans' Affairs) (15:01): The first thing to say is that, in an email from the Parole Board to me yesterday, it was said that Ms Nelson was away on business and, secondly, that she accepts full responsibility for every decision of the Parole Board.

Ms Chapman: Are you going to apologise?

The Hon. M.J. ATKINSON: No, I will not be apologising, because this decision is a wrong decision. It is a decision that really Ms Nelson should accept responsibility for in the public arena, and it seems to me she is evading doing that. She has no idea what the public feeling about this is. She does not give common-sense responses to questions that are asked of her about this. There is no call for an apology. I wish that Ms Nelson's remarks about what I have said and done were accurate, and I would hope that the Leader of the Opposition and the opposition hold Ms Nelson to the same standard of accountability for truthfulness to which they hold me and other ministers in this parliament.

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