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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-09-10 Daily Xml
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MINISTERIAL CODE OF CONDUCT

Mrs REDMOND (Heysen—Leader of the Opposition) (15:13): My question is again to the Premier. In agreeing to indemnify the Attorney-General's $210,000 defamation settlement with Deputy Chief Magistrate Cannon, did the Premier seek the Attorney-General's resignation from cabinet? Dr John Cornwall resigned on 4 August 1988 after he was found by the District Court to have defamed Dr Peter Humble. Dr Humble was awarded $80,000 plus legal costs which amounted to $70,000. According to Dr Cornwall, on 4 August 1988 cabinet agreed to indemnify him for the entire amount on condition that he resign his position as health and community welfare minister, and he resigned later that day.

The Hon. M.D. RANN (Ramsay—Premier, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Social Inclusion, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change) (15:14): I am very happy to answer that question. I did not seek the Attorney-General's resignation because there was no reason to, just as you did not seek the resignations of premier Brown, who was criticised by the judge at the time; premier Olsen; minister Wayne Matthew; deputy premier Graham Ingerson; or many others.

The Hon. P.F. Conlon: Rob Lucas twice in a row.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: Or Rob Lucas twice in a row. I am happy to go through them. On 28 May, The Advertiser reported that 'taxpayers may have to pick up a $175,000 legal bill for former minerals and energy minister, Wayne Matthew, despite a warning to the former Liberal government not to identify him.' Rob Lucas: 22 December 2000, The Advertiser reported that Mr Xenophon was awarded $20,000 after the government settled out of court in the first defamation case between him and Mr Lucas. It was reported that taxpayers paid the legal bills and defamation payout. Mr Xenophon launched a second case for $30,000 in damages over comments Mr Lucas made about Mr Xenophon accepting the $20,000.

Dean Brown: 27 February 1997, The Advertiser reported that taxpayers would have to pay $45,000 to settle a defamation case against former premier Dean Brown. It was also reported that Mr Brown recklessly attacked former health CE, Dr David Blaikie, forcing him to quit his job. The then Liberal government agreed to pay Dr Blaikie $700,000 and an annual pension. Graham Ingerson: an Adelaide law firm received a $30,000 out of court settlement against the then industrial affairs minister, Graham Ingerson, and so forth and so on.

I did not ask the Attorney-General to resign because that would have been unjust. If I had asked him to resign, he would not be sitting there, so it is a pretty unusual question to ask. However, the point of the matter is this: I believe that Magistrate Cannon got it wrong in his judgment, and I am very pleased that just as, with our case against the federal government in terms of a nuclear waste dump the Supreme Court agreed, just as the Federal Court agreed on that occasion with my judgment not sine die. They were ad idem.

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