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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-11-01 Daily Xml
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CHILD PROTECTION

Mr PISONI (Unley) (14:43): My question is to the Minister for Education and Child Development. Will the minister guarantee that no action will be taken by the government regarding any member of the school council community who releases details of the school council discussions in relation to the incident of sex abuse at the western suburbs primary school? The opposition has been advised that the school council members have been threatened by members of the department with the withdrawal of the indemnity if they release details of the incident to the school community.

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI (Hartley—Minister for Education and Child Development) (14:43): I take those allegations as made by the member for Unley very seriously, and these are the very questions I expect Justice Debelle to get to the bottom of because, as you would well appreciate, Madam Speaker, I do not think the cause or the project of advancing child protection and advancing the safety of children in our community is helped by a he-said she-said argument that we are having at the moment. I have gone to a very serious member of our community, someone who has very good credentials and he is tasked with a very specific purpose to provide me with advice on what actually transpired in relation to this very specific matter, and I am confident that he will do that.

Mr PISONI: Madam Speaker, the question was whether she would guarantee indemnity for the members of governing council.

The SPEAKER: Thank you. I cannot direct—

Mr PISONI: There was no answer. She is obviously complicit—

The SPEAKER: Thank you. You will sit down.

Mr PISONI: —as the Minister for Education—

The SPEAKER: Sit down!

Mr PISONI: —in shutting down the school council.

The SPEAKER: You will sit down or leave the chamber. The minister has answered the question in the manner she chooses and I cannot direct her to answer it in any other way.

The Hon. C.C. FOX: Madam Speaker, hello.

The SPEAKER: Is this a point of order?

The Hon. C.C. FOX: It is, yes. I have a point of order. The member for Unley keeps referring to other people as 'she'. I understand if he is using the word 'she' as a pronoun after the initial person, but the member for Unley must refer to the minister either by her title or by her electorate.

The SPEAKER: Thank you, minister.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. C.C. FOX: Well, I am going to hold myself back there.

The SPEAKER: Thank you. The minister will now sit down. I am sure the member is aware that he must refer to people by their title. The member for Ramsay.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Members on my right, order!

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: And the member for Unley will behave! Member for Ramsay.

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