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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-05-02 Daily Xml
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CHILD PROTECTION

Mr PISONI (Unley) (14:21): My question is again to the Attorney-General. What advice has the government sought in relation to the lifting of a blanket suppression order for the identity of the alleged offender at the centre of the Debelle inquiry to be disclosed?

The Hon. J.R. RAU (Enfield—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Planning, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (14:22): As I think I've already indicated, first of all, I don't consider it to be my role or, indeed, the role of any Attorney to be going around making applications one way or another in respect of suppression orders; point No. 1. Point No. 2: what happens in respect of suppression orders now, as a result of changes made by this parliament in the last six months or so, is pretty clear. There is an opportunity for anybody, including the member for Unley, to go to the court and say, 'Look, I think it's in the public interest for the name of this individual to be released.'

The court would then balance up issues like, for example, whether it would tend to identify a child victim or whether it would in any way prejudice or contaminate a police investigation. There is a whole range of things they might consider and, at the end of that, the court would make the decision.

I have not asked for advice about the matter because the parliament, as recently as the last six months, has made it very clear how you do it, and I, as I've indicated before, have no intention personally of becoming involved in that matter. I would prefer to leave the matter to the courts and the police, because it is the courts and the police that are charged by our community with dealing with questions of justice and questions of publication of details of alleged offenders.

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