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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2016-11-02 Daily Xml
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Yatala Labour Prison Incident

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (14:32): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before addressing a question to the Minister for Correctional Services on the recent death in custody of Mr Wayne 'Fella' Morrison in Yatala Labour Prison and the RAH.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: The minister recently informed this place that he was open to offers from the family of Mr Wayne 'Fella' Morrison to meet with them. I understand from Latoya Rule and my meeting with her that the family has made that meeting with the minister conditional on the release of CCTV footage from the time of the incident or two incidents. Can the minister confirm whether this is indeed the case, and can the minister confirm whether he will be meeting with Mr Morrison's family and releasing that CCTV footage to them?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS (Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (14:33): I thank the Hon. Ms Franks for her question. I can advise the chamber that on multiple occasions my office has made attempts to get in contact with the family of the deceased through a desire to be able to meet with them and hear their concerns that they may have or indeed to answer any questions they may have regarding the process following Mr Morrison's passing.

I am able to confirm that I have received a request from a member of the deceased's family for access to CCTV footage that may exist. I am not in a position to be able to provide details regarding that CCTV footage because, of course, it is subject to an ongoing and active investigation by the South Australian police force, more specifically an investigation that is being conducted by Major Crime of SAPOL, and naturally my office is not privy to particular CCTV footage that is subject to a police investigation.

Since receiving the most recent contact from the deceased's family, my office has been proactively trying to arrange a meeting. I am very keen to meet with the deceased's family should they want to, and I am actively trying to arrange it, as discussed. In fact, very soon after the passing of Mr Morrison, my office had been making it clear, through Mr Morrison's family's legal representatives (the Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement) that I am very keen to meet the family, but as yet they have not taken my office up on that offer. They have recently re-established contact. Again, I have made it very clear that I am happy to meet with them and make it a priority to ensure that we can find a time that is mutually convenient.

Regarding questions of evidence that may or may not be relevant in an ongoing active police investigation, that clearly goes beyond my remit. As I said, SAPOL are conducting an investigation. They are also in the process of preparing a report for the Coroner. In due course, I would hope that through that process, information that is able to become publicly available does so because I suspect that process would be revealing, which is of course what we want. I have been keen from the outset for nothing more than utter transparency to take place here. Naturally, due process has to take its course, and when there is a police investigation underway, I for one have no intention of seeking to intervene or do anything that would prejudice that important investigation in any way.

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