House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-06-02 Daily Xml

Contents

Disability Services

Ms COOK (Hurtle Vale) (15:07): My question is to the Premier. Was Ann Marie Smith provided with in-kind support coordination by Disability SA or the Department of Human Services any time under your government since March 2018?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (15:07): Well, I would think the answer to that is yes, and I think the answer to that would have been obvious because we came to government in—

Ms Cook: Support coordination. What support?

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —2018 when Ann Marie Smith had been a long-term client, my understanding is, of the South Australian government agency, which operated originally in DCSI (the Department of Community and Social Inclusion), which had a few name changes, but they were all under Disability SA, and she made that transition.

If the member is asking the question: did we get elected in March and immediately set about auditing every person that the previous government had engaged over a long period of time, whether they be companies or individuals, well, then the answer to that is no. There was nothing in the incoming files that would suggest we would have to go back and audit every single piece of work that those opposite had done.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: So why did you hand her over?

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: It is now coming to light, of course, that people were operating under that system without adequate screening put in place, but they had operated for years under the previous regime.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: You handed her over to an unscreened carer.

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: The previous regime had basically led a situation—

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: You screened her after she died.

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for West Torrens!

The Hon. V.A. Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Deputy Premier!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I think we now know who put the FOIs in.

The SPEAKER: Order! Premier, please do not provoke the opposition.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I certainly wouldn't because this is a very serious matter.

Mr Malinauskas: So serious you don't even know the terms of reference.

The SPEAKER: Leader!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! It's your question time. The clock is ticking.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: As I was saying, sir, no, we didn't come into government in March and audit a system that was being essentially transitioned to the federal government a few months later. We didn't go back in and audit all of the work that the previous government did in terms of their management of the NGOs, the service providers, the individuals who operated within that system. No, that wasn't done. Of course, there was some work done in that area as part of that transition, but I think I have given sufficient information to the house to address the question asked by the member.