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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-07-23 Daily Xml
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CHILD PROTECTION INQUIRY

Mr MARSHALL (Norwood—Leader of the Opposition) (14:37): My question is to the Premier. In relation to the email advising Simon Blewett of alleged sex abuse at a western suburbs school, has the Premier asked how Simon Blewett can be certain that he did not send the email to the then minister, given that Simon Blewett does not recall who he sent it to?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Treasurer, Minister for State Development, Minister for the Public Sector, Minister for the Arts) (14:37): This is a complete demonstration of a point that I was raising earlier—

Mr Gardner: Just answer the question.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: I will; I will answer it at length, and by the end of it you will be interjecting because you will not like hearing what I am about to say.

Mr Marshall: As long as it's not repetitious.

The Hon. J.R. Rau: Not repetitious! What about the questions?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: That's right; as long as it's not repetitious. A royal commissioner—not just some guy—was appointed to inquire into these matters. They heard evidence—they heard evidence from everybody they wanted to hear evidence from. That did not happen accidentally; it happened because they were compelled to be there by royal commission powers. They heard what those people had to say.

They also engaged the head of forensic technology from the South Australian police force who trawled through every piece of evidence that he possibly could, including my computer, a laptop that was held at home by me, which was not scrubbed, contrary to the suggestions by those opposite, and including every other backup computer in government. He looked at all of that material and he spoke to all of the relevant parties.

He looked at the fact that there was not one shred of departmental briefing about any of these matters, through the whole of the history of this matter, to my office. He heard all of our sworn evidence, and he made a decision that he found both myself and both of my advisers as witnesses of truth.

He also reached a view that he is entirely satisfied that I was not advised about these matters, and he did not say that lightly. Former Supreme Court judges do not make conclusions of that sort lightly. It is utterly outrageous—utterly outrageous—for the Leader of the Opposition to come into this place and pour scorn on the findings of the royal commissioner in relation to this matter. I remember standing in this place—

Mr Whetstone interjecting:

Ms CHAPMAN: Point of order, Mr Speaker—

The SPEAKER: The member for Chaffey is called to order. Is this a point of order?

Ms CHAPMAN: It is a point of order, sir. This is a very important subject, as you well know, and the Premier is not addressing the relevance of the question. The question was not what Mr Debelle did in this inquiry—

The SPEAKER: It's how can the Premier be sure?

Ms CHAPMAN: It was whether the Premier asked Mr Blewitt; that was the question.

The SPEAKER: Has the Premier asked, yes?

Ms CHAPMAN: Has the Premier asked? That's what we want an answer to.

The SPEAKER: Premier.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Not only have I asked him those questions; Mr Debelle has asked him those questions. It's not my state of satisfaction that is relevant or important here. When I made my state of satisfaction about these matters clear in a ministerial statement, the Leader of the Opposition looked across at me and said, 'Nobody believes you.'

Mr Marshall: Sorry?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: 'Nobody believes you.' That's precisely what you said, and the royal commissioner found contrary to your suggestion.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: So, that is precisely against your conclusion.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Will the Premier be seated? The Leader of the Opposition will withdraw and apologise for that imputation.

Mr MARSHALL: I withdraw and apologise for that imputation.

The SPEAKER: Thank you. While we have this pause, I warn the member for Chaffey for the first time. Is there any more, Premier?

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