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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-11-18 Daily Xml
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EASLING, MR T.

The Hon. I.F. EVANS (Davenport) (15:27): In July 2004, in the weeks leading up to Tom Easling's arrest on 31 July, the Department for Families and Communities received so many complaints from the industry sector about the conduct of the Special Investigations Unit that it wrote a memo to the then chief executive, Kate Lennon, on 27 July, just four days before Tom Easling's arrest.

That memo recommended to Ms Lennon that she appoint a consultant to look at the Special Investigations Unit. The consultant the department called in was none other than ex-deputy police commissioner Neil McKenzie. I received a copy of that memo through an FOI application so, when I read that there were industry complaints about the Special Investigations Unit, I put in a freedom of information application seeking copies of those complaints from the industry sector.

I got an FOI response back from the department saying that no documents existed. Yesterday, the department issued a media statement, which stated:

The department is confident that its searches under the FOI Act are rigorous and it stands by its determination in the matter. Notwithstanding the Hon. Iain Evans's belief that such documents exist, the department, after repeated and thorough searches in accordance with its obligations under the FOI Act, has concluded no such documents exist.

I bring to the attention of the parliament, I bring to the attention of the South Australian people and I bring to the attention of the South Australian cabinet the existence of the very documents the department has had all the way along. The department has had these documents from day one, and it dare respond to the media and it dare respond to the member of parliament concerned that these documents simply do not exist.

Let me tell the parliament: these documents do exist, and they existed at the time within the department—a letter from CREATE Foundation, an industry group, complaining; and a letter to Steve Edgington, who was the general manager of the Special Investigations Unit, complaining about the conduct of the Special Investigations Unit. That is dated 16 July 2004, and it was copied to Kate Lennon, the then chief executive of the department. If you believe the department now, this document simply does not exist. Then there is another one from the Lutheran Community Care dated 16 July 2004, again to Steve Edgington, again copied to Kate Lennon. The department would have you believe that this letter of complaint about the Special Investigations Unit simply does not exist.

Then there is another one. There is one here from the Connecting Foster Carers of South Australia dated 15 July 2004. That goes to Steve Edgington, head of the Special Investigations Unit. There is another one dated 16 July again from the Lutheran Community Care which again goes to Steve Edgington and again to Kate Lennon. The department says these documents simply do not exist.

This is a shameful day for South Australia in my view. This department has said no such document exists. I put this question to the parliament and I put this question to South Australia: why is it that these documents existed prior to the call for a royal commission and yet when someone calls for a royal commission into the investigation of that very unit, where all these documents were sent, when someone calls for a royal commission into that particular agency, the department says the documents do not exist? They just do not exist.

It is obvious to me that this department is lying. It is obvious to me that this department is involved in a cover-up, and I say this to the government: if you are too gutless now to implement an independent inquiry into this agency, which is lying to the members of parliament and lying to the public, then it is on your heads because the South Australian public deserves better. The South Australian public deserves an independent inquiry into what was going on in the investigations unit of the Department for Families and Communities. They did Tom Easling over. He deserves an inquiry and this is an absolute disgrace.

Time expired.

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