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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-11-13 Daily Xml
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CHILD PROTECTION

Mrs REDMOND (Heysen—Leader of the Opposition) (14:25): My question is again to the Premier. Is the Premier saying that when he was education minister no-one told him of the rape of an eight year old that occurred at a state school—not his chief of staff, not his press secretary, not his ministerial education advisers, nor the head of his department? I have read the Premier's ministerial statement from this morning and it does not in any way go to an answer to that question.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Minister for State Development) (14:25): I am going to have to respectfully disagree with the honourable member because it, in fact, does, but can I say that I had the opportunity just yesterday evening to meet with parents and the governing council—

Members interjecting:

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

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Madam Speaker, I did have the opportunity yesterday evening to meet with parents and members of the governing council of this western suburbs—

Mrs REDMOND: Point of order, Madam Speaker.

The SPEAKER: What is your point of order?

Mrs REDMOND: The relevance under standing order 98. The question was: is he saying to this place that he was not aware, not told by anybody, that there was a rape of an eight year old in a school whilst he was the education minister?

The SPEAKER: Thank you, you have made your point; however, the Premier is answering it in his own way.

An honourable member interjecting:

The SPEAKER: He has not referred to you in any way.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Madam Speaker, as I was beginning to say, I had the opportunity to meet with representatives of the parents and the governing council yesterday, and they were pleased that I did meet with them, and their very clear concern is to make sure that we look, in this place, all of us, at ways to make sure these sorts of things do not happen in the future. Now, rather than playing some petty politics with what is an absolute tragedy—

Mr GARDNER: Point of order, Madam Speaker. It is clearly not 'petty politics' to just answer the question of whether or not he was told.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Thank you, Member for Morialta, there is no point of order. Premier, are you still answering?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Madam Speaker, of course, the advice that came to my chief of staff did not disclose details of the incident. He was advised that an arrest had occurred and that parents were being informed, and he was entitled to rely upon that.

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