Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-07-27 Daily Xml

Contents

Question Time

BURNSIDE COUNCIL

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:23): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for State/Local Government Relations a question about the Burnside council or, as the Hon. Mr Darley calls it, Burnsidegate.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Yesterday, in the House of Assembly, the Premier said:

I think I announced on Friday that it was my clear view, and that of the Attorney-General, that the Burnside documents, having been suppressed by the Supreme Court...that, in fact, the Burnside report should go to the Police Commissioner and should go to the Director of Public Prosecutions and go to the Anti-Corruption Branch.

My questions are:

1. In the light of the Premier's comment, I ask the minister: has the draft MacPherson report gone to the Director of Public Prosecutions, and on which date did it go?

2. If the Attorney-General considers that the draft MacPherson report is ready for consideration by a prosecutor, on whose advice did the minister consider that it needed to be pre-vetted by the Crown Solicitor's Office?

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (14:24): I thank the honourable member for his question. I received a letter from the police commissioner on, I think, about Tuesday and after consideration—

An honourable member interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: There was an invitation for me to refer the—

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: Refer, not request, not demand but refer the—

The PRESIDENT: Order! The honourable minister should answer the question without taking notice of interjections across the chamber, which are out of order.

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: It was a bit of clarification, Mr President. He invited me to refer the draft report to him, and that is an offer that I took up.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Ridgway has a supplementary.