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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2017-05-30 Daily Xml
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Oakden Mental Health Facility

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:59): In what way can the minister claim any responsibility or any credit for the Chief Psychiatrist's review into the Oakden scandal when there is now overwhelming evidence that the review was called for by the Principal Community Visitor and was in fact authorised by the CEO of NALHN?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier) (14:59): Can I say that there's been much misrepresentation about this whole idea of credit. I was asked—

Mr Gardner interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta will withdraw from the chamber for the next hour as a repeat offender under the sessional orders.

The honourable member for Morialta having withdrawn from the chamber:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: I can understand their defensiveness, sir. They tacked in on this question after it was a public issue, after we had launched the inquiry. When this was put on the public record back in 2007, there were shrieks of silence in the upper house when we actually identified the problems there, very little remarked about. The minister conducted this inquiry—not a question in this house—but, true to form, they read the newspaper and they realise, 'Oh, we're late to the party. We had better jump on board. This looks like fun.' That's the truth of it. That is the truth of this feigned interest in this issue.

Mr MARSHALL: Point of order: I ask that you bring the Premier back to the substance of the question, that is, providing evidence as to the minister taking credit for the instigation of the investigation.

The SPEAKER: Yes, well, the Premier is addressing the question of who has claimed credit for this inquiry.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Yes, I was just making a general observation about claiming credit. Those opposite were seeking to jump on board. When I returned from leave and was asked about—

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The deputy leader is on two warnings.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: When I returned from leave, I was responding to the very trenchant criticisms that were made of the minister during the period when I was on leave, and I was asked to address them when I returned, and I addressed them immediately upon my return from leave, so my remarks should be seen in that context.

Mr Marshall: You didn't even read the report while you were on leave.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Well, I did read the report while I was on leave.

Mr Marshall: You made no public comment for three weeks. You were sitting 20 metres away from the report—

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: I know the Leader of the Opposition is embarrassed that he is late to this issue and he seeking now to make some mileage of it, but I think he will be judged. He will be judged for playing politics with vulnerable people, just like he was judged in the lead-up to the last election over child protection, which I notice he wants to drag up again. There is a recurring theme here in the Leader of the Opposition.

Mr Wingard interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Mitchell is called to order.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: He does nothing, reads the paper and realises he's got to get out of bed and actually make a media statement. This is the modus operandi of the Leader of the Opposition, and most people are finding him out. That's why there are so many glum faces on the other side: because there's talk. We've heard the talk; it wafts over here. The context of my remarks was a trenchant—

Mr Marshall: You won't even let her answer the question.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Because much of the misrepresentation seems to have arisen from my remarks, and that's why I want to deal with them. My remarks were on the basis that the minister was being criticised—

Mr Marshall: Where's the evidence?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Allow me to complete my point, and if you listen you might get an answer. I was responding to the criticisms of the minister. What I said is that proper credit—

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Premier seems to have ceased being provocative, so the leader can cease interjecting.

The Hon. P. Caica: Yes, please.

The SPEAKER: The member for Colton is called to order.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: The minister on advice has commissioned a broad inquiry which has led us to the Oakden report. They are the facts of the matter. I said that she deserves credit for shining a light on this most difficult issue. Of course, it was also instigated by the Spriggs family, who of course escalated their concerns to the community visitor, but they are the facts of the matter.

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