House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-07-24 Daily Xml

Contents

CHILD PROTECTION

Mr MARSHALL (Norwood—Leader of the Opposition) (14:06): Sir, a final supplementary: don't parents have the right to be advised when their children are in the care of an alleged child sex offender?

The Hon. J.R. RAU (Enfield—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Planning, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (14:06): Mr Speaker, in relation to this particular matter, what we are getting is—we are moving away from the fact that the member for Unley has sat on information that might have actually caused a potential risk—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: We are getting away—

Mr PENGILLY: Sir, point of order.

The SPEAKER: I presume the member for Finniss's point of order would be that the member for Chaffey is disrupting the house; accordingly, I call him to order. Am I right?

Mr PENGILLY: No, sir, I'm sorry. I draw to your attention standing order No. 125.

The SPEAKER: And what is the content of that?

Mr PENGILLY: Unbecoming words towards a member, sir, and I believe that—

The SPEAKER: Unbecoming?

Mr PENGILLY: Unbecoming words; I believe that applies to the member for Unley.

An honourable member: Offensive, you might like to—

Mr PENGILLY: No, it's unbecoming.

The SPEAKER: And those words were that he was 'sitting on information'?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Well, it would be my ruling that to accuse a member of sitting on information is neither offensive nor unbecoming, but part of the stock in trade of this house.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Were it within my capacity to do so, the question I would like to ask in this chamber is to ask the Leader of the Opposition when he first found out—

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: —that the member for Unley was sitting on information about an alleged child sex abuser travelling in a bus to Victoria with children.

The Hon. I.F. EVANS: Point of order: the minister is going nowhere near the substance of the question, Mr Speaker.

The SPEAKER: Well, I think he is actually entirely germane as far as I can see.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Attorney, are you finished, or is there more?

The Hon. J.R. RAU: The only thing I will say is that the Leader of the Opposition needs to think about the old adage about doing as he does and not just doing as he says.

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Are there any more supplementaries?

Mr Marshall: Absolutely; we haven't had anywhere near an answer so far.