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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-05-16 Daily Xml
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Jenkins, Mrs A.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (14:41): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Attorney-General a question about the suspected abduction and murder of Adelaide grandmother, Anna Jenkins, in Penang, Malaysia, in December 2017.

Leave granted.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO: I was in Penang last Friday, supporting Anna's son, Greg, and his family as the coroner there declared an open finding into Anna's death after a drawn-out and farcical inquest, if you could even call it that. The Sydney Morning Herald put it succinctly in its coverage, and I quote the headline: 'Anna's family has been seeking answers for six years. In three minutes, a judge told them there were none.' In a three-minute summary on Friday, Judge Hamzah said in part:

Taking into account of all information and testimony we have received, the coroner's court is unable to determine the real cause of death, and we can't say if there is third-party involved…we can't say if there is a criminal element in this matter, or there is no criminal element at all.

In other words, nothing to see, and worse still, nothing about the bungled police investigation. Adding further insult to their pain, Penang's DPP also pressured Mr Jenkins to immediately collect the remaining possessions belonging to his mother from police custody. Such was the apathy from Penang police that it was Mr Jenkins who investigated his mother's disappearance and then discovered her few skeletal remains over 40 trips, which cost almost $400,000.

On Mother's Day, I received a heartbreaking message from Greg Jenkins in Penang. He had returned to the construction site where some of his mum's remains were found, and he was looking for more. The family is devastated and offended by the lack of justice and procedural fairness they have received in Malaysia.

Last year, I wrote to the Attorney asking him to refer the matter to our own Coroner to consider undertaking an inquest here. He advised that he had written, along with my correspondence, to the Coroner seeking advice. My question to the Attorney is:

1. What was the Coroner's initial response?

2. Given the unacceptable and inconclusive findings of the Malaysian inquest, will he now seek updated advice from the Coroner and request him to undertake a proper investigation, as covered in the Coroners Act, given Mrs Jenkins was a South Australian citizen?

3. Should victims of crime here be eligible for funding to help recover legal costs from the Victims of Crime Fund, regardless of where the crime against one of our citizens was committed in a foreign country?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (14:44): I thank the honourable member for his question and his advocacy and support of the family in this matter. I was able to meet with the children of Anna Jenkins only a few weeks ago and was able to make representations on their behalf when they were having trouble getting information that would enable them to make final submissions to the coronial hearing in Malaysia.

I was struck, as I am sure the Hon. Frank Pangallo has been, by the tenacity, particularly of Greg Jenkins, who has stopped at nothing to try to uncover what happened to his mother. It's a completely understandable but very admirable way Greg has conducted the many trips to Malaysia, the many efforts in dealing with authorities. As Greg explained to me, it hasn't been an easy journey.

In relation to matters for the South Australian Coroner, I have written to the Coroner in South Australia and have passed on the requests made by the honourable member. I will have to follow up as to what advice has been provided back. I also will pass on the comments that have been made here today in light of the findings that have been handed down by the coroner in Malaysia.

The issue of victims of crime funding applying extraterritorially is something that has been raised, and we are looking into it. I am not going to be able to give an undertaking that victims of crime funds will necessarily be able to be used for such a purpose, but it is something I have been asked before and we are looking into.

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