Ms ROSOL question to MINISTER for POLICE, FIRE and EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, Mr ELLIS
Last June, an investigation into death reporting practises at the LGH found that Dr Peter Renshaw had engaged in a repeated pattern of breaking the law. The matter was referred to Tasmania Police. Early this year, police revealed that they would not press charges in relation to this matter. That decision surprised and distressed many.
We have spoken with key witnesses to Dr Renshaw’s conduct. They say they were never interviewed by Tasmanian police. They are wondering how thoroughly this matter was looked at. To get more information about what happened, we wrote in good faith to the Police Commissioner in January to request a briefing. We are still yet to receive a reply. Tasmanians deserve to know what happened here. Did Tasmania Police conduct an actual investigation of this matter, and if so, what steps did they take? Or did they simply do a desktop review of the information provided to them by the review?
ANSWER
Honourable Speaker, I thank the member for her question on this very important topic and I will follow up regards the correspondence.
In terms of broader information, Dr Peter Renshaw, who is the Director of Medical Services at the Launceston General Hospital, was a witness and a person of interest during the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s Response to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings. In 2023 during a parliamentary inquiry into the Launceston General Hospital, allegations were made in relation to Dr Renshaw’s falsifying death certificates in matters that should have been referred to the Coroner. A review into this matter was conducted independently by the Department of Health and the results were referred to Tasmania Police to consider or instigate a criminal investigation. All available evidence was thoroughly reviewed by Tasmania Police and advice was sought from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
DPP advised that there is insufficient evidence to lay charges in respect to this matter. Based on the available evidence, Tasmania Police has determined that no further investigation will occur, pending any new information received.
