House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-07-27 Daily Xml

Contents

BURNSIDE COUNCIL

Mrs REDMOND (Heysen—Leader of the Opposition) (14:33): My question is to the Attorney-General. Has the Attorney-General received advice as to whether the Burnside council inquiry can be closed down, given that prominent Adelaide lawyer Kevin Borick QC has advised that—

The Hon. M.J. Atkinson interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Croydon! Second warning.

Mrs REDMOND: I will start the question again, if I may, Madam Speaker. Has the Attorney-General received advice as to whether the Burnside council inquiry can be closed down, given that prominent Adelaide lawyer Kevin Borick QC has advised that, 'Once lawfully appointed, the investigator must conclude the investigation'?

The Hon. J.R. RAU (Enfield—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Justice, Minister for Urban Development, Planning and the City of Adelaide, Minister for Tourism, Minister for Food Marketing) (14:34): I thank the Leader of the Opposition for her question. As the Leader of the Opposition and others would be well aware, if you can get two or three lawyers in a room you are capable of having nearly twice as many opinions on twice as many subjects.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Norwood and the Minister for Transport, take it outside if you want to continue this.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. Conlon interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, Minister for Transport!

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, the member for Unley! You are warned also. Minister.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: So, do you want me to repeat that again, or are we good with that?

The Hon. P.F. Conlon: She's reading Hansard, something she might have done before she got here.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Reading Hansard, okay, that is fine. The first point is that lawyers can differ as to their opinions about things. I have not seen Mr Borick's opinion, and I have not—as a result of Mr Borick's opinion having been produced today, or not produced as the case may be, because as I said I have not seen it; I know it has been referred to by a member in the other place but I have not seen it—sought advice in relation to an opinion that I have not seen and heard about for the first time, in a global sense, in the news media today.