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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-09-22 Daily Xml
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Data Harvesting

Mr MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Leader of the Opposition) (14:25): My question is to the Premier. Is the Premier aware of the evidence given to the CPIP Committee today by the Ombudsman? With your leave, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Today in the CPIP Committee, the Ombudsman was questioned about the misuse of data and whether he had found corruption, maladministration or misconduct and referred it to the Office for Public Integrity. His response was, 'Yes.' He was then asked if that was on behalf of a political party, the Liberal Party. His response was, 'Yes.'

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Planning and Local Government) (14:26): I have been briefed on the evidence given this morning and I have also been provided with a copy of the statement issued by the Ombudsman today in which he has corrected the record in relation to the evidence he gave this morning.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: Point of order, sir.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Deputy Premier will resume her seat. The Member for West Torrens rises on a point of order.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Standing order 96: the Attorney-General is not responsible to the house for the office of the Premier.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! There's no point of order.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my right!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Members on my left!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Ramsay! There is no point of order. It's within the capacity of the government to answer the question. The Deputy Premier has the call.

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN: I just repeat that I have received a briefing in respect of the evidence that was given this morning at the CPIP Committee and that included the ICAC commissioner, Ann Vanstone, and also the Ombudsman, Mr Wayne Lines. In relation to Mr Lines' evidence, I have subsequently been provided with a copy of a statement he has made under the heading of a media release with the Ombudsman in which he corrected his evidence from the morning. It really covers two matters in relation to findings, and which he confirmed that he hadn't, and that he had referred the matter to OPI for assessment. Secondly—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Deputy Premier will resume her seat for a moment. Members on my right and members on my left, the Deputy Premier—indeed any minister answering a question—is entitled to heard in silence, and that's, apart from any other purpose, for the benefit of all members having the capacity to hear the answer. I have difficulty hearing the answer, given the volume and extent of interjections. They will cease. The Deputy Premier has the call.

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN: The second matter that the Ombudsman made a public statement on is to say that he had made a statement to the committee about the Premier's office being informed, and he says, 'However, that is not the case,' and goes on to explain that the Department of the Premier and Cabinet were the only ones that had been informed. This statement is critical, of course, to be taken into account in the errors that have been brought to the attention and made publicly by the Ombudsman in respect of the statements that he made to the committee. I just remind the members that—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN: —I made a statement to the parliament back in May identifying that the Privacy Committee had—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Members on my left! The member for Reynell!

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN: I hear an interjection about being handpicked. The chair of the Privacy Committee is someone who was appointed way before my time—I think done by the previous government. In any event, Mr Simon Froude, who is the chair of the committee and also in charge of the State Records Act in South Australia, has undertaken an inquiry.

I have reported that to the parliament, and their findings in relation to that, and that he confirmed that he would be forwarding a copy of that report to the Ombudsman. It's unsurprising to me that the Ombudsman would be asked questions about that and/or that he would give evidence or make public statements on it. He has and I think he has cleared the matter.

The SPEAKER: The Deputy Premier will resume her seat. The leader rises on a point of order.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: A point of order: standing order 98. My question was specifically as to whether or not the Premier is aware that an investigation regarding misuse of data has been referred to OPI. That was the question asked of the Premier.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! On the point of order, the Minister for Energy and Mining.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: On the point of order—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my right! Members on my right, the Premier! The Premier will cease interjecting. The Minister for Energy and Mining has the call.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Contrary to what the Leader of the Opposition just said, the original question was actually asking about the Premier's knowledge or otherwise about the evidence provided to the committee, and that is exactly what the Deputy Premier is talking about.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The leader has raised a point of order, as he is entitled to do. I don't uphold the point of order insofar as it raises a point of order in contravention of standing order 98. The question asked as to the Premier's knowledge of evidence given at the committee hearing this morning. The Deputy Premier in answering the question is addressing that subject matter and what I anticipate is bringing the house up to date in relation to matters subsequent that bear on that question. The Deputy Premier remains in order. The Deputy Premier has the call.

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN: I have concluded my answer.

The SPEAKER: The Deputy Premier has concluded her answer.

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