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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-05-04 Daily Xml
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Question Time

Ombudsman Investigation, Member for Bragg

Mr TEAGUE (Heysen) (14:33): My question is to the Premier. Does the Premier accept the findings of the Ombudsman's report tabled in this house yesterday?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Energy and Mining) (14:33): The Ombudsman released a report yesterday that was referred to him by the previous parliament, and it is interesting reading. I also remind the house and the members that the select committee that referred Ms Chapman to the Ombudsman for investigation—indeed, including the former Premier—had terms of reference much broader than just conflict of interest. They also included a select committee to investigate misleading parliament.

The Ombudsman has no power to investigate whether this house was misled; that is a matter for the parliament. In a parliament where the Labor Party had only 19 votes, the parliament found overwhelmingly that the former Deputy Premier and Attorney-General did indeed mislead the parliament, was found guilty of contempt of misleading the parliament and suspended for misleading the parliament. Those offences stand, and nothing that the Ombudsman reports—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Sorry? I can't hear you.

The SPEAKER: Order! Minister, there is a point of order. The member for Heysen has the call.

Mr TEAGUE: I will repeat the question: does the Premier accept the findings of the Ombudsman's report tabled in the house yesterday? It is quite straightforward, and standing order 127 prohibits digression. It is clear there is a range of subject matter associated with this, none of which is associated with the answer that the member for West Torrens is—

The SPEAKER: I hear the member for Heysen. There is some force in what he says. We are early in the minister's response, and I will be listening carefully.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: We are in a situation now where the Ombudsman has made a finding that is different from what the select committee found. I suppose, given the shadow attorney-general's concern, he will be resigning his position immediately and allowing the former Deputy Premier to return to her post as the shadow attorney-general. No doubt the shadow deputy leader will be resigning his post and reinstating the member for Bragg.

We didn't sack her: you did. I didn't have the power to sack the Deputy Premier, I didn't have the power to sack the Attorney-General, I didn't have the power to stand her down. That was done by the former one-term Premier, the member for Dunstan. If a former one-term Premier decides—

The SPEAKER: Minister, there is a point of order. I imagine the member for Heysen returns to his earlier point of order.

Mr TEAGUE: It is standing order 98 now. Standing order 98 prohibits debate.

An honourable member interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr TEAGUE: It is a straightforward question to the Premier. The member for West Torrens, the Minister for Infrastructure, is entitled to answer it if that is the government's wish. He is not permitted, however, to breach standing order 98 or standing order 127.

The SPEAKER: I have the balance of both standing orders in mind, particularly 98, which you emphasised, member for Heysen, on this occasion. Standing order 98 brings me, and therefore the house, to turn to the substance of the question, and I ask the minister to do so.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Thank you, sir. I read the report last night. It was very interesting reading, and I'm sure the Deputy Premier, who received a preliminary report some weeks ago, was very pleased with the outcome of the Ombudsman's report. We now have this situation where we have two opposing reports. The Ombudsman is independent, and I think it is—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Dunstan!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —a reflection on the character of the then opposition that we were prepared to refer that matter to an independent officer to make a report. The question now becomes: now that report has been tabled, what does the opposition do about their actions when they have removed the member for Bragg from the positions she held?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Reinstate her.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr TARZIA: Point of order, sir.

The SPEAKER: I will hear the point of order. I understand it is 98.

Mr TARZIA: It is clearly debate: 98.

The SPEAKER: Well, 98 has been emphasised. Minister, I draw you again to the substance of the question. The minister has the call.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I accept that the Ombudsman's report is independent. I accept that the Ombudsman's report has—

Mr Cowdrey interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Colton, there have been a number of points of order and they have been ruled on. We now return to the minister.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: We followed the advice, on the committee, of the counsel assisting, a learned QC in Dr Rachael Gray.

An honourable member interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Dr Rachael Gray said that the committee was open to find these matters. I understand the Ombudsman has found an alternative view. There are now two independent officers who have given us two sets of advice. If the opposition feels aggrieved, I encourage them to—

Mr Tarzia interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Hartley!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —reinstate the member for Bragg as deputy leader and shadow attorney-general, and I look forward to her, until 31 May, sitting here on the front bench, being the reinstated deputy leader and reinstated shadow attorney-general. Of course, they won't, because they unceremoniously sacked her and secretly can't wait for her to leave.

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