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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-02-17 Daily Xml
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Child Protection

Mr MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Leader of the Opposition) (14:20): My question is to the Minister for Child Protection. Has the minister met in person with the Guardian for Children and Young People in the last eight days?

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Planning and Local Government) (14:21): Can I advise the house that there are a number of other oversight bodies that deal with children, some of which overlap with Child Protection. One of them is the guardian—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN: —for young people. She—that is, Ms Penny Wright—is the guardian in South Australia and under law she has a reporting role in relation to some of the children whom she is responsible for to the Minister for Child Protection and also has a different reporting role, largely in relation to children in custody in our training centres, to the Minister for Human Services. Obviously, there are also other oversight bodies, including the child death and serious injury committee. Ms Meredith Dickson SC is the chair of that committee and she has a role of reporting to the Minister for Education, so we have a number of others.

Can I advise the house that, notwithstanding that the Rice report looked exclusively at the issue in relation to this incident around C1 and C2 in child protection, it has aroused—and some members may be aware that, for example, the guardian made a statement I think yesterday that was certainly published today indicating that she hadn't received information about the case of C1 and C2 and as a result of that I—

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: The Deputy Premier will resume her seat. The member for West Torrens' point of order.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: The standing order is standing order 98. The member should reply to the substance of the question, not debate the matter. The question was very specific: has the Minister for Child Protection met with the guardian in the last eight days?

The SPEAKER: I have the point of order. I will direct some remarks, Deputy Premier, to the point of order.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: There will be silence on my left. I will listen carefully to the question. The Deputy Premier has the call.

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN: I would just remind the house that I had commissioned the Rice report, which had very specific terms of reference and, as—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN: —I pointed out yesterday, there were a number of people who were interviewed by Mr Rice. The guardian, Ms Wright, wasn't interviewed. That is not within his purview to do that within the terms of reference, but Ms Wright has made a public statement I think alerting to the fact that she has some concern that she hadn't received information. The Crown Solicitor's Office nominee has been identified today. I won't name them for obvious reasons, but I just want to assure the house that that process has been underway, the selection has occurred and the nomination has been made.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: The Deputy Premier will resume her seat. The member for Lee on a point of order.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Again, on the same point of order, standing order 98: the Deputy Premier is debating the answer. None of this is material to the very simple question about whether the Minister for Child Protection had met with the guardian.

The SPEAKER: I have the point of order; it is the same point of order raised by the member for West Torrens. I am listening to the Deputy Premier's answer. The Deputy Premier will address the question. The Deputy Premier has the call.

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN: As a result of his appointment and my request to the Crown Solicitor's Office that consideration be given to the statement of the guardian and that some application be given in the role that they undertake, that they consider that, it may also be necessary to look at whether the child death and serious injury committee, which also has not only a—

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Mr Speaker?

The SPEAKER: The Deputy Premier will resume her seat. The member for Lee.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: I rise again on the same point of order: standing order 98. The Deputy Premier is debating the answer. None of this is material to the question at all. It has been over three minutes and we still haven't got anywhere near an answer.

The SPEAKER: The point of order has now been repeated for a third time. I ask the Deputy Premier to direct her response to the question. The Deputy Premier has the call.

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN: So, in relation to who meets with the guardian, that's a matter of identification by the guardian as to how often she meets. She—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN: Are you going to let me finish?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left! The Deputy Premier has the call.

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN: As the guardian has raised the concern, it's being actioned through my department. In the meantime, I'm advised that in addition to meeting with the Minister for Child Protection every eight days or so, there are—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, the member for Cheltenham!

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN: My understanding is that in the last eight days that hasn't occurred for her, but there are other people that she's responsible to, including this parliament, of which she has, subsequent to the Mullighan inquiry, protection of this parliament not to be directed by a minister. So she has statutory protection.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The time for answering the question has expired. The Deputy Premier will resume her seat. Before I call the member for King, I warn the member for Cheltenham, I call to order the member for Light, I warn for a second time the member for Hurtle Vale, I call to order the member for Elizabeth, I warn for a second time the member for Badcoe and I call to order the member for Reynell.

I take the opportunity to remind members that the questioner is entitled to be heard in silence and the minister answering the question is entitled to be heard in silence. There is no cause for escalating interjection. If points of order are to be raised, points of order are to be raised, but the minister answering the question will be heard in silence.

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