Dr WOODRUFF question to MINISTER for POLICE, FIRE and EMERGENCY SERVICES, Mr ELLIS
The commission of inquiry raised serious concerns about the failure of Tasmania Police to investigate evidence of child sexual abuse by Senior Sergeant Paul Reynolds and at the decision to give him a police funeral with honours and at Commissioner Hines' delivery of a glowing eulogy.
In response we wrote to you and called for an investigation independent of Tasmania Police, with wide scope and full powers to compel people to appear, to gather evidence and refer for prosecution. The Commissioner of Police responded, not you, minister. She announced it would be a review and not an investigation. She wrote the narrow scope of reference herself and will not investigate the funeral decision. There are no powers to compel persons of interest to appear.
The questions at the heart of this matter are deeply serious and the community needs to be confident that no stone will be left unturned. Instead, it looks like we have police dictating the direction that has been taken. This is not a satisfactory approach. Will you step in and order a proper independent investigation with full powers?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I thank Dr Woodruff for her question and her interest in this significant matter. I thank her for her support, in general, for an inquiry to be held into this matter. Ultimately, we want to make sure that all government institutions, including Tasmania Police, are rebuilding the trust of the community after the findings of the commission of inquiry. The commission found that oftentimes when victims/survivors come forward to police, they have an experience of being heard and supported but, at other times, there is more that Tasmania Police need to do to support people when they come forward to seek justice.
I have spoken previously about the funeral decision. I do not think it was appropriate that Mr Reynolds was granted a police funeral; I think it was the wrong decision.
Dr Woodruff - We want to know why it happened.
Mr SPEAKER - Order.
Mr ELLIS - The Commissioner of Police has apologised for the decision of her predecessor and we have already proactively made changes so that cannot happen again. As we noted in the terms of reference, the decision to grant a police funeral was previously at the discretion of the Commissioner of Police. They will now be required to take into account any police standards investigation when they make a decision around -
Dr Woodruff - So why don't you require an investigation into the circumstances for him making that decision?
Mr SPEAKER - Order. The question has been asked and you should allow the minister to answer it.
Mr ELLIS - Thank you, Mr Speaker. We have acknowledged that it was the wrong decision. We have apologised for it and we are making sure that it will never happen again.
Dr Woodruff - But you don't want to find out why it happened?
Mr ELLIS - We are making sure that it will never happen again.
Dr Woodruff - How can you make sure if you don't investigate it?
Mr SPEAKER - Order.
Mr ELLIS - In terms of the broader independent investigation, in this matter I reject Dr Woodruff's assertion. This is an independent review being conducted by Regina Weiss, [OK], a highly esteemed barrister and federal prosecutor, who formerly worked in The Hague prosecuting some of the worst crimes of humanity. She has also supported victims/survivors in high-profile reviews. She is an outstanding Tasmanian and we are very supportive of her work.
As I mentioned, we are committed to rebuilding trust and leaving no stone unturned as part of implementing the commission of inquiry findings. Keeping children safe is our highest priority and that includes matters relating to former police officer Paul Reynolds raised in the commission of inquiry -
Dr Woodruff - And also senior former police officers.
Mr SPEAKER - Order, Leader of the Greens.
Mr ELLIS - and Coroner Simon Cooper's inquiry into police suicide, which identified terrible findings relating to Paul Reynolds' behaviour and conduct. We must ensure that the matters regarding Paul Reynolds are appropriately and independently reviewed and ensure that they never happen again. That is why we have commissioned this independent review to be led by experienced barrister Ms Regina Weiss. The review, which will be completed in a trauma-informed way, will identify if there has been any criminal misconduct by Paul Reynolds in his handling of matters reported to him or investigated by him.
As I say, we want no stone to be unturned. The review will also investigate whether he used his position of power to groom young people and commit child sexual abuse during the course of his career, and whether there has been any misconduct by police officers involved in the investigation or any allegations against him. This will include while he was stationed at the Deloraine division and in prosecution services. Victims/survivors and members of the community are encouraged to report concerns to provide information regarding the behaviour of Mr Reynolds to support the review and we should be supporting them to come forward.
