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Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 1090 asked in the Legislative Council on 27 October 2022 by Hon Nick Goiran

Parliament: 41 Session: 1

OMBUDSMAN'S REPORT — LEGAL SERVICES COMPLAINTS COMMITTEE

1090. Hon NICK GOIRAN to the parliamentary secretary representing the Attorney General:

I refer to the Ombudsman's report on giving effect to the recommendations arising from the investigation into the handling of complaints by the Legal Services and Complaints Committee.

(1) Will the parliamentary secretary table the Attorney General's request to the Ombudsman that he consider the handling of complaints by the Legal Profession Complaints Committee?

(2) Does the Attorney General or the department possess a copy of the preliminary report provided to the LPCC?

(3) If yes to (2), will the parliamentary secretary table it?

Hon MATTHEW SWINBOURN replied:

I thank the member for some notice of the question. I provide the following answer on behalf of the Attorney General.

(1) There is no such document. The Attorney General and the Ombudsman discussed the then Legal Profession Complaints Committee, now the Legal Services and Complaints Committee, verbally.

(2) Yes.

(3) The preliminary report was provided to the Attorney General by the Ombudsman in accordance with section 19(5) of the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1971, with the following instruction —

The preliminary report is strictly confidential. The information in the preliminary report is subject to the secrecy provisions of the Act and shall not be disclosed: s 23 of the Act. In accordance with section 23(1a) of the Act, I direct that any information contained in the preliminary report not be disclosed to any person other than the Attorney General and staff of the office of the Attorney General. Furthermore, the preliminary report is exempt matter for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act 1992.