P11816d-11817A Mr Colin Barnett; Dr Geoff Gallop
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Extract from Hansard [ASSEMBLY - Thursday, 20 June 2002] p11816d-11817a Mr Colin Barnett; Dr Geoff Gallop MICKELBERG CASE, MINISTER FOR HEALTH 1121. Mr BARNETT to the Premier: I refer the Premier to comments on Radio 6PR by the Commissioner of Police, Barry Matthews, when he expressed his concern about the release of the Lewandowski affidavit by stating, “But I didn’t provide copies to anybody else because it was the role of the royal commission.” (1) Does the Premier support the Attorney General’s decision to selectively release the affidavit to the Minister for Health and to discuss the affidavit with members of the media? (2) Does the Premier accept that by releasing the affidavit, in particular to the Minister for Health, the Attorney General has compromised his role as the first law officer of the Crown, and also the investigative powers and evidentiary process of the Royal Commission Into Whether There Has Been Any Corrupt or Criminal Conduct by Western Australian Police Officers? Dr GALLOP replied: (1)-(2) The Government of Western Australia stands behind the Attorney General and the way in which he has handled this matter. I find it extraordinary that the Leader of the Opposition has come into this Parliament and criticised the Attorney General for being open and accountable on a very important issue. I will repeat the very important reasons the Government of Western Australia made public the details of this affair last Monday. First, this is not just another issue in Western Australia; this issue has attracted huge interest. Indeed, I remind members of the House that there have been four appeals to the Court of Criminal Appeal on this issue. There was massive public interest in it. Secondly, I point out to the House that matters relating to this issue are in the province of the Government. Now that the affidavit has come forward, the questions for the Government are whether this matter will go to the Court of Criminal Appeal, what the consequences of that may be for the public of Western Australia etc. Those matters lie with the Government, and they require a response from the Government. As members know, we have made it clear that those matters will be given proper consideration. Thirdly, I will add another element to this equation, and I made this point yesterday. If the Government of Western Australia and the Attorney General had not released details of this matter on Monday, what would our friends in the media and the Opposition have said? They would have said that we were trying to cover it up. It is interesting that the Leader of the Opposition has expressed concern about the fact that this matter went public. I ask the Leader of the Opposition whether he has asked the member for Nedlands about the circumstances under which she had knowledge of this affair on Monday. Has the Leader of the Opposition asked the member that question yet? Mr Barnett: There were rumours around a week before Lewandowski’s affidavit. Dr GALLOP: Rumours! It is interesting how the word “rumours” is used. Let us be a bit more specific. Who spread the rumours and who gave the information to the member for Nedlands? Did the Leader of the Opposition ask her that question? He does not want to answer that question. It is a terrible sin for the Government of Western Australia to be public and open about this matter! However, it is not a terrible sin - perhaps the member for Nedlands can confirm this - for the member for Nedlands to take to the media the information that she had from “rumours”. Will the member for Nedlands confirm to this House that she took details of that matter to the media on Monday? This is the open and accountable Opposition! I ask the member for Nedlands whether she took information on this matter to the media on Monday. Several members interjected. Dr GALLOP: I remind the House that the word “Parliament” derives from a word meaning to speak. I thought that the whole aim of Parliament was to speak. We now have the new, silent Opposition. Mr Marshall interjected. Dr GALLOP: The captain-coach is speaking from the back! What we have seen from the Opposition is hypocrisy. What we have seen from the Government is open and accountable government. The member for Nedlands needs to come clean. Where did she get the information and to whom was she retelling that information? If it is a sin for the Government of Western Australia to be open and accountable on this issue, when will the Leader of the Opposition take responsibility for what happens on his side of the House? [1] .