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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-06-02 Daily Xml
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Disability Services

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Leader of the Opposition) (14:33): My question is to the Minister for Human Services regarding disability services. In media interviews, minister, you mentioned that the system has failed Ann Marie Smith. What do you consider to be the greatest failings that led to her tragic death and what do you consider to be the greatest failings of you as a minister that allowed this death to occur?

The PRESIDENT: The Minister for Human Services will disregard the opinion that was in that question.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (Minister for Human Services) (14:33): Mr President, I will let others be the judge of where I have failed. I think it is apparent—certainly I have received a lot of very heartfelt correspondence, phone calls, from people. Naturally, the whole community has been shocked about how this could have taken place. In response to that as well, a number of people have made comments about safeguarding, which is the issue that the task force is certainly looking at going forward.

We wanted to make sure that we had a broad range of people on the task force, particularly well represented by people with disabilities, because they tell us that they feel hidden, and those comments from Samantha Connor really relate to things where people with disabilities can be seen as 'other' in our community and not fully participate. Going forward, inclusion is a very important issue. I think South Australia's Disability Inclusion Act is an important part of having people with disability in our community participating with full equal rights. I think that is the vision of everybody in South Australia going forward.

We have a number of inquiries, of course, that are looking at these very specific issues about what could have been missed along the way. Certainly, the police are looking at the exact details of Ann Marie Smith's death. The federal inquiry is looking at matters going back to 2009, when it is understood that Ann Marie's parents passed away. There is an intensive investigation of all of these matters, and I do not wish to pre-empt what they might find.

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