❓ Dr. Hames questions the Minister for Health about inaction on letters regarding alleged Aboriginal child abuse. The Minister denies receiving the letters and refutes any negligence, stating he would have referred any evidence to the police.
AnsweredQoN 437Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
MINISTER FOR HEALTH - PERCY JOHNSON AND LIONEL QUARTERMAINE LETTERS 437. Dr K.D. HAMES to the Minister for Health: I ask a supplementary question. Those letters were sent. Does the minister accept that potentially hundreds more Aboriginal children have been abused because of the minister’s refusal to act on those claims three years ago? Mr J.A. McGINTY
AnswerView source ↗
I religiously pursue any issue that is ever raised with me. Every week, people raise with me allegations of impropriety, of corruption and of criminality. Wherever there is any evidence, I make sure that those matters are referred to the appropriate authorities. The letters to which the member refers were never sent to my office. I cannot make that any clearer. So, I do not accept the member’s criticism, because if those letters had been sent to me, and if they had contained any evidence of criminality - which I do not think they do; there is a suggestion in them - I would have referred them to the police. It is the job of the police to investigate these matters, and that is what I would have done; however, they were never sent to me.
MINISTER FOR HEALTH - PERCY JOHNSON AND LIONEL QUARTERMAINE LETTERS
I ask a supplementary question. Those letters were sent. Does the minister accept that potentially hundreds more Aboriginal children have been abused because of the minister’s refusal to act on those claims three years ago? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: I religiously pursue any issue that is ever raised with me. Every week, people raise with me allegations of impropriety, of corruption and of criminality. Wherever there is any evidence, I make sure that those matters are referred to the appropriate authorities. The letters to which the member refers were never sent to my office. I cannot make that any clearer. So, I do not accept the member’s criticism, because if those letters had been sent to me, and if they had contained any evidence of criminality - which I do not think they do; there is a suggestion in them - I would have referred them to the police. It is the job of the police to investigate these matters, and that is what I would have done; however, they were never sent to me.
Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: I religiously pursue any issue that is ever raised with me. Every week, people raise with me allegations of impropriety, of corruption and of criminality. Wherever there is any evidence, I make sure that those matters are referred to the appropriate authorities. The letters to which the member refers were never sent to my office. I cannot make that any clearer. So, I do not accept the member’s criticism, because if those letters had been sent to me, and if they had contained any evidence of criminality - which I do not think they do; there is a suggestion in them - I would have referred them to the police. It is the job of the police to investigate these matters, and that is what I would have done; however, they were never sent to me.
I religiously pursue any issue that is ever raised with me. Every week, people raise with me allegations of impropriety, of corruption and of criminality. Wherever there is any evidence, I make sure that those matters are referred to the appropriate authorities. The letters to which the member refers were never sent to my office. I cannot make that any clearer. So, I do not accept the member’s criticism, because if those letters had been sent to me, and if they had contained any evidence of criminality - which I do not think they do; there is a suggestion in them - I would have referred them to the police. It is the job of the police to investigate these matters, and that is what I would have done; however, they were never sent to me.
MINISTER FOR HEALTH - PERCY JOHNSON AND LIONEL QUARTERMAINE LETTERS
I ask a supplementary question. Those letters were sent. Does the minister accept that potentially hundreds more Aboriginal children have been abused because of the minister’s refusal to act on those claims three years ago? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: I religiously pursue any issue that is ever raised with me. Every week, people raise with me allegations of impropriety, of corruption and of criminality. Wherever there is any evidence, I make sure that those matters are referred to the appropriate authorities. The letters to which the member refers were never sent to my office. I cannot make that any clearer. So, I do not accept the member’s criticism, because if those letters had been sent to me, and if they had contained any evidence of criminality - which I do not think they do; there is a suggestion in them - I would have referred them to the police. It is the job of the police to investigate these matters, and that is what I would have done; however, they were never sent to me.
Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: I religiously pursue any issue that is ever raised with me. Every week, people raise with me allegations of impropriety, of corruption and of criminality. Wherever there is any evidence, I make sure that those matters are referred to the appropriate authorities. The letters to which the member refers were never sent to my office. I cannot make that any clearer. So, I do not accept the member’s criticism, because if those letters had been sent to me, and if they had contained any evidence of criminality - which I do not think they do; there is a suggestion in them - I would have referred them to the police. It is the job of the police to investigate these matters, and that is what I would have done; however, they were never sent to me.
I religiously pursue any issue that is ever raised with me. Every week, people raise with me allegations of impropriety, of corruption and of criminality. Wherever there is any evidence, I make sure that those matters are referred to the appropriate authorities. The letters to which the member refers were never sent to my office. I cannot make that any clearer. So, I do not accept the member’s criticism, because if those letters had been sent to me, and if they had contained any evidence of criminality - which I do not think they do; there is a suggestion in them - I would have referred them to the police. It is the job of the police to investigate these matters, and that is what I would have done; however, they were never sent to me.
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