Ms Walker questions the Attorney General's decision to spend $500,000 to overturn a criminal injury compensation payment, highlighting the use of convicted criminals as key witnesses. The Attorney General denies the cost and accuses Ms Walker of fabricating the figure.

AnsweredQoN 404Legislative Assembly
Asked
22 June 2006
Portfolio
Attorney General

QuestionView source ↗

CRIMINAL INJURY COMPENSATION PAYMENT
I refer to the decision by the Attorney General to spend $500 000 of the state’s money trying to overturn a $72 500 criminal injury compensation payment awarded to a 23-year-old man who, while on remand at Casuarina Prison, was placed in a unit with murderers and sexual predators. Is it true that the state’s case has been mounted mainly on the evidence of star witnesses David Birnie, a serial murderer and rapist, now deceased; a notorious paedophile named Barrett serving a life sentence; and a brutal child murderer? Mr J.A. McGINTY

AnswerView source ↗

The member for Nedlands seems to have had a flight of fantasy. I thought I had informed her yesterday that there was no additional cost. She now seems to have copped the disease that some other people around here have - of inflating things with no foundation. The member for Nedlands has simply made up the half-million-dollar figure, which has no foundation in fact, so the premise on which the question is based is false. The answer to the question is that I do not know.
Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: The member for Nedlands seems to have had a flight of fantasy. I thought I had informed her yesterday that there was no additional cost. She now seems to have copped the disease that some other people around here have - of inflating things with no foundation. The member for Nedlands has simply made up the half-million-dollar figure, which has no foundation in fact, so the premise on which the question is based is false. The answer to the question is that I do not know.
The member for Nedlands seems to have had a flight of fantasy. I thought I had informed her yesterday that there was no additional cost. She now seems to have copped the disease that some other people around here have - of inflating things with no foundation. The member for Nedlands has simply made up the half-million-dollar figure, which has no foundation in fact, so the premise on which the question is based is false. The answer to the question is that I do not know.

Explore WA Government Data

Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.

Explore more