Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-06-01 Daily Xml

Contents

SafeWork SA Review

The Hon. C. BONAROS (15:07): My question is to the Attorney and Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector. Can the minister please provide an update on the status of any review into SafeWork SA's handling of nurse Gayle Woodford's rape and murder while on duty as a nurse, including the subsequent decision not to prosecute Mrs Woodford's employer, and an update in terms of the meeting with the Woodford family and their legal representatives he committed to in this place some weeks ago?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Attorney-General, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (15:08): I thank the honourable member for her question. I'm pleased to be able to inform the honourable member that the government has appointed former Federal Court judge the Hon. John Mansfield AM QC to undertake an independent review into SafeWork's investigation into the death of Gayle Woodford and also importantly SafeWork SA's engagement with the Woodford family during that investigation.

Mr Mansfield is an eminently qualified South Australian lawyer, who was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1985 and has served as a judge of the Federal Court of Australia for nearly 20 years prior to his retirement in 2016. He is widely respected, both within the legal profession and the broader community. The review Mr Mansfield is undertaking is to be completed by 15 July and will make recommendations that will be publicly available. I am confident that Mr Mansfield will conduct a thorough evaluation of the investigation and communications with the family.

In relation to meeting with the Woodford family, through the Woodford family's representatives I have made myself available for a meeting. I'm not going to go into having met or not. I think that's something the Woodford family—I think it's their story to tell, not mine.