Page 1161 - Week 04 - Friday, 23 April 2021

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The Assembly voted—

Ayes 14

Noes 7

Mr Braddock

Dr Paterson

Mr Cain

Ms Burch

Mr Pettersson

Ms Castley

Ms Cheyne

Mr Rattenbury

Mrs Jones

Ms Clay

Mr Steel

Mrs Kikkert

Ms Davidson

Ms Stephen Smith

Ms Lawder

Mr Davis

Ms Vassarotti

Mr Milligan

Mr Gentleman

Mr Parton

Ms Orr

Amendment agreed to.

Original question, as amended, resolved in the affirmative.

Sitting suspended from 11.35 am to 1.00 pm.

Questions without notice

Family and domestic violence—legislation

MS LEE: The Chief Minister will be glad to know that my question is to the Attorney-General. Attorney-General, during the last sitting you indicated that the Family Violence Act review was given to the Justice and Community Safety Directorate in March 2020, but the public release was delayed as the government had “a number of concerns” with the report. Attorney-General, it has been brought to my attention that a draft report was provided to the directorate in January 2020 and the feedback from that draft was integrated in the March 2020 report, which was presented as the final. Yet it was not until October 2020, following numerous emails from researchers and stakeholders, that the authors were instructed to add sentences, according to a quote, and to fix typos. Attorney-General, will you correct the record and admit that the delay in releasing the review into the family violence act was not the fault of the researchers but a decision made to protect your government’s own political interest and delay in releasing bad news before the election?

MR RATTENBURY: Ms Lee has just asked a series of questions about matters for which I was not the portfolio minister at the time, so I am not aware of the specific information. The briefing that I have received since coming into the portfolio was that the report was received in March. There were concerns, as I have told the chamber before. The final report was received by government on 14 December.

I will have to take on notice Ms Lee’s question. That is not information I have been briefed on as I was not the minister at the time.

MS LEE: Attorney-General, will you apologise to the researchers and stakeholders for using them as scapegoats rather than taking responsibility as the current Attorney-General?

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