❓ Minister Carpenter responds to a question regarding alleged sexual abuse of an Albany student by a former teacher with a prior conviction, expressing concern and outlining actions including providing documents to the victim's family and instigating an independent investigation.
AnsweredQoN 872Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ALLEGED SEXUAL ABUSE, ALBANY STUDENT
Will the minister provide an update on the response of the Department of Education and Training to inquiries for assistance to the mother of a child allegedly the victim of sexual abuse in an Albany school? Mr A.J. CARPENTER
Will the minister provide an update on the response of the Department of Education and Training to inquiries for assistance to the mother of a child allegedly the victim of sexual abuse in an Albany school? Mr A.J. CARPENTER
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for this question and for keeping me up to date on this matter. This is a particular instance of an issue that disturbs me greatly. The matter was raised with me a couple of weeks ago, also by the member for Albany. Claims of alleged sexual abuse were made by a student against a former teacher at an Albany school last year. The incident attracted quite a lot of media publicity both locally and in The West Australian . Various matters were raised concerning this case. I am very concerned that a person with a conviction in 1988 for sexual abuse in the great southern could have subsequently become a teacher, as is the case in this instance, in a relatively small community such as Albany, and continued teaching in the school without anyone being made aware of his previous conviction. Mrs M.H. Roberts: It’s scandalous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: As was just said by interjection, this is scandalous. In a small community such as the great southern certain information was available that should have alerted people to this situation. This case needs investigation. Through her lawyers in Albany, the victim’s mother has sought the assistance of the Department of Education and Training in the provision of documents. Against initial advice from the Crown Solicitor’s Office, I have instructed the department to provide all relevant documents on this matter. I believe that, in this case as in other cases we have witnessed in both Western Australia and Australia, too often powerful institutions put up barriers to individuals and prevent them accessing justice. I have instructed the department to provide all relevant assistance to the victim and his family, and to appoint an independent investigator with relevant expertise to gather and review all information on the teacher’s employment by the department, including any facts, even those pertaining to events outside the department, that might be pertinent to this case. We must take our responsibilities in these areas very seriously indeed. I intend to do that. I do not accept that these circumstances should not be fully investigated or that victims or their families should not be provided with every assistance. Once again, I thank the member for Albany for keeping me informed of this case and I thank the people who have provided me verbally with information, which I have found very disturbing and which has placed me in a position in which I feel I have no alternative but to instigate an investigation.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for this question and for keeping me up to date on this matter. This is a particular instance of an issue that disturbs me greatly. The matter was raised with me a couple of weeks ago, also by the member for Albany. Claims of alleged sexual abuse were made by a student against a former teacher at an Albany school last year. The incident attracted quite a lot of media publicity both locally and in The West Australian . Various matters were raised concerning this case. I am very concerned that a person with a conviction in 1988 for sexual abuse in the great southern could have subsequently become a teacher, as is the case in this instance, in a relatively small community such as Albany, and continued teaching in the school without anyone being made aware of his previous conviction. Mrs M.H. Roberts: It’s scandalous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: As was just said by interjection, this is scandalous. In a small community such as the great southern certain information was available that should have alerted people to this situation. This case needs investigation. Through her lawyers in Albany, the victim’s mother has sought the assistance of the Department of Education and Training in the provision of documents. Against initial advice from the Crown Solicitor’s Office, I have instructed the department to provide all relevant documents on this matter. I believe that, in this case as in other cases we have witnessed in both Western Australia and Australia, too often powerful institutions put up barriers to individuals and prevent them accessing justice. I have instructed the department to provide all relevant assistance to the victim and his family, and to appoint an independent investigator with relevant expertise to gather and review all information on the teacher’s employment by the department, including any facts, even those pertaining to events outside the department, that might be pertinent to this case. We must take our responsibilities in these areas very seriously indeed. I intend to do that. I do not accept that these circumstances should not be fully investigated or that victims or their families should not be provided with every assistance. Once again, I thank the member for Albany for keeping me informed of this case and I thank the people who have provided me verbally with information, which I have found very disturbing and which has placed me in a position in which I feel I have no alternative but to instigate an investigation.
I thank the member for this question and for keeping me up to date on this matter. This is a particular instance of an issue that disturbs me greatly. The matter was raised with me a couple of weeks ago, also by the member for Albany. Claims of alleged sexual abuse were made by a student against a former teacher at an Albany school last year. The incident attracted quite a lot of media publicity both locally and in The West Australian . Various matters were raised concerning this case. I am very concerned that a person with a conviction in 1988 for sexual abuse in the great southern could have subsequently become a teacher, as is the case in this instance, in a relatively small community such as Albany, and continued teaching in the school without anyone being made aware of his previous conviction. Mrs M.H. Roberts: It’s scandalous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: As was just said by interjection, this is scandalous. In a small community such as the great southern certain information was available that should have alerted people to this situation. This case needs investigation. Through her lawyers in Albany, the victim’s mother has sought the assistance of the Department of Education and Training in the provision of documents. Against initial advice from the Crown Solicitor’s Office, I have instructed the department to provide all relevant documents on this matter. I believe that, in this case as in other cases we have witnessed in both Western Australia and Australia, too often powerful institutions put up barriers to individuals and prevent them accessing justice. I have instructed the department to provide all relevant assistance to the victim and his family, and to appoint an independent investigator with relevant expertise to gather and review all information on the teacher’s employment by the department, including any facts, even those pertaining to events outside the department, that might be pertinent to this case. We must take our responsibilities in these areas very seriously indeed. I intend to do that. I do not accept that these circumstances should not be fully investigated or that victims or their families should not be provided with every assistance. Once again, I thank the member for Albany for keeping me informed of this case and I thank the people who have provided me verbally with information, which I have found very disturbing and which has placed me in a position in which I feel I have no alternative but to instigate an investigation.
I am very concerned that a person with a conviction in 1988 for sexual abuse in the great southern could have subsequently become a teacher, as is the case in this instance, in a relatively small community such as Albany, and continued teaching in the school without anyone being made aware of his previous conviction. Mrs M.H. Roberts: It’s scandalous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: As was just said by interjection, this is scandalous. In a small community such as the great southern certain information was available that should have alerted people to this situation. This case needs investigation. Through her lawyers in Albany, the victim’s mother has sought the assistance of the Department of Education and Training in the provision of documents. Against initial advice from the Crown Solicitor’s Office, I have instructed the department to provide all relevant documents on this matter. I believe that, in this case as in other cases we have witnessed in both Western Australia and Australia, too often powerful institutions put up barriers to individuals and prevent them accessing justice. I have instructed the department to provide all relevant assistance to the victim and his family, and to appoint an independent investigator with relevant expertise to gather and review all information on the teacher’s employment by the department, including any facts, even those pertaining to events outside the department, that might be pertinent to this case. We must take our responsibilities in these areas very seriously indeed. I intend to do that. I do not accept that these circumstances should not be fully investigated or that victims or their families should not be provided with every assistance. Once again, I thank the member for Albany for keeping me informed of this case and I thank the people who have provided me verbally with information, which I have found very disturbing and which has placed me in a position in which I feel I have no alternative but to instigate an investigation.
Mrs M.H. Roberts: It’s scandalous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: As was just said by interjection, this is scandalous. In a small community such as the great southern certain information was available that should have alerted people to this situation. This case needs investigation. Through her lawyers in Albany, the victim’s mother has sought the assistance of the Department of Education and Training in the provision of documents. Against initial advice from the Crown Solicitor’s Office, I have instructed the department to provide all relevant documents on this matter. I believe that, in this case as in other cases we have witnessed in both Western Australia and Australia, too often powerful institutions put up barriers to individuals and prevent them accessing justice. I have instructed the department to provide all relevant assistance to the victim and his family, and to appoint an independent investigator with relevant expertise to gather and review all information on the teacher’s employment by the department, including any facts, even those pertaining to events outside the department, that might be pertinent to this case. We must take our responsibilities in these areas very seriously indeed. I intend to do that. I do not accept that these circumstances should not be fully investigated or that victims or their families should not be provided with every assistance. Once again, I thank the member for Albany for keeping me informed of this case and I thank the people who have provided me verbally with information, which I have found very disturbing and which has placed me in a position in which I feel I have no alternative but to instigate an investigation.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: As was just said by interjection, this is scandalous. In a small community such as the great southern certain information was available that should have alerted people to this situation. This case needs investigation. Through her lawyers in Albany, the victim’s mother has sought the assistance of the Department of Education and Training in the provision of documents. Against initial advice from the Crown Solicitor’s Office, I have instructed the department to provide all relevant documents on this matter. I believe that, in this case as in other cases we have witnessed in both Western Australia and Australia, too often powerful institutions put up barriers to individuals and prevent them accessing justice. I have instructed the department to provide all relevant assistance to the victim and his family, and to appoint an independent investigator with relevant expertise to gather and review all information on the teacher’s employment by the department, including any facts, even those pertaining to events outside the department, that might be pertinent to this case. We must take our responsibilities in these areas very seriously indeed. I intend to do that. I do not accept that these circumstances should not be fully investigated or that victims or their families should not be provided with every assistance. Once again, I thank the member for Albany for keeping me informed of this case and I thank the people who have provided me verbally with information, which I have found very disturbing and which has placed me in a position in which I feel I have no alternative but to instigate an investigation.
Once again, I thank the member for Albany for keeping me informed of this case and I thank the people who have provided me verbally with information, which I have found very disturbing and which has placed me in a position in which I feel I have no alternative but to instigate an investigation.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for this question and for keeping me up to date on this matter. This is a particular instance of an issue that disturbs me greatly. The matter was raised with me a couple of weeks ago, also by the member for Albany. Claims of alleged sexual abuse were made by a student against a former teacher at an Albany school last year. The incident attracted quite a lot of media publicity both locally and in The West Australian . Various matters were raised concerning this case. I am very concerned that a person with a conviction in 1988 for sexual abuse in the great southern could have subsequently become a teacher, as is the case in this instance, in a relatively small community such as Albany, and continued teaching in the school without anyone being made aware of his previous conviction. Mrs M.H. Roberts: It’s scandalous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: As was just said by interjection, this is scandalous. In a small community such as the great southern certain information was available that should have alerted people to this situation. This case needs investigation. Through her lawyers in Albany, the victim’s mother has sought the assistance of the Department of Education and Training in the provision of documents. Against initial advice from the Crown Solicitor’s Office, I have instructed the department to provide all relevant documents on this matter. I believe that, in this case as in other cases we have witnessed in both Western Australia and Australia, too often powerful institutions put up barriers to individuals and prevent them accessing justice. I have instructed the department to provide all relevant assistance to the victim and his family, and to appoint an independent investigator with relevant expertise to gather and review all information on the teacher’s employment by the department, including any facts, even those pertaining to events outside the department, that might be pertinent to this case. We must take our responsibilities in these areas very seriously indeed. I intend to do that. I do not accept that these circumstances should not be fully investigated or that victims or their families should not be provided with every assistance. Once again, I thank the member for Albany for keeping me informed of this case and I thank the people who have provided me verbally with information, which I have found very disturbing and which has placed me in a position in which I feel I have no alternative but to instigate an investigation.
I thank the member for this question and for keeping me up to date on this matter. This is a particular instance of an issue that disturbs me greatly. The matter was raised with me a couple of weeks ago, also by the member for Albany. Claims of alleged sexual abuse were made by a student against a former teacher at an Albany school last year. The incident attracted quite a lot of media publicity both locally and in The West Australian . Various matters were raised concerning this case. I am very concerned that a person with a conviction in 1988 for sexual abuse in the great southern could have subsequently become a teacher, as is the case in this instance, in a relatively small community such as Albany, and continued teaching in the school without anyone being made aware of his previous conviction. Mrs M.H. Roberts: It’s scandalous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: As was just said by interjection, this is scandalous. In a small community such as the great southern certain information was available that should have alerted people to this situation. This case needs investigation. Through her lawyers in Albany, the victim’s mother has sought the assistance of the Department of Education and Training in the provision of documents. Against initial advice from the Crown Solicitor’s Office, I have instructed the department to provide all relevant documents on this matter. I believe that, in this case as in other cases we have witnessed in both Western Australia and Australia, too often powerful institutions put up barriers to individuals and prevent them accessing justice. I have instructed the department to provide all relevant assistance to the victim and his family, and to appoint an independent investigator with relevant expertise to gather and review all information on the teacher’s employment by the department, including any facts, even those pertaining to events outside the department, that might be pertinent to this case. We must take our responsibilities in these areas very seriously indeed. I intend to do that. I do not accept that these circumstances should not be fully investigated or that victims or their families should not be provided with every assistance. Once again, I thank the member for Albany for keeping me informed of this case and I thank the people who have provided me verbally with information, which I have found very disturbing and which has placed me in a position in which I feel I have no alternative but to instigate an investigation.
I am very concerned that a person with a conviction in 1988 for sexual abuse in the great southern could have subsequently become a teacher, as is the case in this instance, in a relatively small community such as Albany, and continued teaching in the school without anyone being made aware of his previous conviction. Mrs M.H. Roberts: It’s scandalous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: As was just said by interjection, this is scandalous. In a small community such as the great southern certain information was available that should have alerted people to this situation. This case needs investigation. Through her lawyers in Albany, the victim’s mother has sought the assistance of the Department of Education and Training in the provision of documents. Against initial advice from the Crown Solicitor’s Office, I have instructed the department to provide all relevant documents on this matter. I believe that, in this case as in other cases we have witnessed in both Western Australia and Australia, too often powerful institutions put up barriers to individuals and prevent them accessing justice. I have instructed the department to provide all relevant assistance to the victim and his family, and to appoint an independent investigator with relevant expertise to gather and review all information on the teacher’s employment by the department, including any facts, even those pertaining to events outside the department, that might be pertinent to this case. We must take our responsibilities in these areas very seriously indeed. I intend to do that. I do not accept that these circumstances should not be fully investigated or that victims or their families should not be provided with every assistance. Once again, I thank the member for Albany for keeping me informed of this case and I thank the people who have provided me verbally with information, which I have found very disturbing and which has placed me in a position in which I feel I have no alternative but to instigate an investigation.
Mrs M.H. Roberts: It’s scandalous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER: As was just said by interjection, this is scandalous. In a small community such as the great southern certain information was available that should have alerted people to this situation. This case needs investigation. Through her lawyers in Albany, the victim’s mother has sought the assistance of the Department of Education and Training in the provision of documents. Against initial advice from the Crown Solicitor’s Office, I have instructed the department to provide all relevant documents on this matter. I believe that, in this case as in other cases we have witnessed in both Western Australia and Australia, too often powerful institutions put up barriers to individuals and prevent them accessing justice. I have instructed the department to provide all relevant assistance to the victim and his family, and to appoint an independent investigator with relevant expertise to gather and review all information on the teacher’s employment by the department, including any facts, even those pertaining to events outside the department, that might be pertinent to this case. We must take our responsibilities in these areas very seriously indeed. I intend to do that. I do not accept that these circumstances should not be fully investigated or that victims or their families should not be provided with every assistance. Once again, I thank the member for Albany for keeping me informed of this case and I thank the people who have provided me verbally with information, which I have found very disturbing and which has placed me in a position in which I feel I have no alternative but to instigate an investigation.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER: As was just said by interjection, this is scandalous. In a small community such as the great southern certain information was available that should have alerted people to this situation. This case needs investigation. Through her lawyers in Albany, the victim’s mother has sought the assistance of the Department of Education and Training in the provision of documents. Against initial advice from the Crown Solicitor’s Office, I have instructed the department to provide all relevant documents on this matter. I believe that, in this case as in other cases we have witnessed in both Western Australia and Australia, too often powerful institutions put up barriers to individuals and prevent them accessing justice. I have instructed the department to provide all relevant assistance to the victim and his family, and to appoint an independent investigator with relevant expertise to gather and review all information on the teacher’s employment by the department, including any facts, even those pertaining to events outside the department, that might be pertinent to this case. We must take our responsibilities in these areas very seriously indeed. I intend to do that. I do not accept that these circumstances should not be fully investigated or that victims or their families should not be provided with every assistance. Once again, I thank the member for Albany for keeping me informed of this case and I thank the people who have provided me verbally with information, which I have found very disturbing and which has placed me in a position in which I feel I have no alternative but to instigate an investigation.
Once again, I thank the member for Albany for keeping me informed of this case and I thank the people who have provided me verbally with information, which I have found very disturbing and which has placed me in a position in which I feel I have no alternative but to instigate an investigation.
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