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The South Australian government has declined to release the 2022 Hyde report into the deaths of two children, citing ongoing legal and police investigations, despite promises from Premier Peter Malinauskas to publish it and criticism from advocates like Belinda Valentine.
four-year-old report into SA's child protection system has been refused by the state government. The state government has said it will release the Hyde report "as soon as it is legally able to".
A prominent child protection advocate has accused the South Australian premier of breaking a promise, after his department refused to release the findings of a review into the deaths of two children. WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains the first name and image of a person who has died, as well as content some may find distressing.
Belinda Valentine, whose granddaughter Chloe died in 2012 after suffering horrific neglect and physical abuse, said she found it "shocking" that the SA government had refused an ABC freedom of information request for a copy of a 2022 report by former SA Police Commissioner Mal Hyde.
"I absolutely do believe he has broken a promise to the detriment of vulnerable children and the community at large. " The state government has told the ABC it is prepared to release the Hyde review "as soon as it is legally able to". Mr Hyde's review examined the "multiple government agencies" involved with the families of six-year-old Charlie and seven-year-old Makai prior to their deaths that year.
Charlie died when her body shut down from severe malnourishment, while Makai died of pneumonia and sepsis three days after he was first brought to a GP. Premier Peter Malinauskas previously said releasing the document could compromise SA Police's investigations into the children's deaths.
"To be frank, that is regrettable from my perspective because I believe there are a number of elements from the Hyde review that are very instructive for the government and I think are worthy of public consumption," he told reporters in November 2022. "I committed to releasing the Hyde review publicly, that is a commitment I stand by and will be honoured.
SA Police told the ABC it has since concluded its investigations, with major crime investigators now preparing a report for the coroner. Review 'languishing' as a cabinet documentThe Department of the Premier and Cabinet's CEO Rick Persse refused the request, citing several reasons, including that the document "consists of information that has been specifically prepared for submission to Cabinet ".
Mr Persse also told the ABC the review contained "matter the disclosure of which could reasonably be expected to prejudice the maintenance or enforcement of any procedure for protecting public safety". Ms Valentine, who has become a prominent child protection advocate in the years since her granddaughter's death, described the arguments as "ridiculous".
"It was shocking to find out, only through a FOI request, that the Mal Hyde review has been languishing as a confidential cabinet document for years now, with the government having no intention of making it public, after emphatically stating it was a matter of public interest to release it," she said. Opposition child protection spokesperson Laura Henderson said there was "no reason" why the government could not release the document given the police investigations had concluded.
"Transparency is not optional in a system entrusted with the safety of children — it is essential," she said. Former police commissioner Mal Hyde released his recommendations into the child protection system alongside Premier Peter Malinauskas in 2022. A state government spokesperson said they were prepared to release the Hyde report as soon as "all legal processes have been completed, including any coroner's inquiry".
They said the coroner's office told the government on Wednesday that it was still waiting for final police reports to determine whether to hold a coronial inquest.
"The South Australian government will immediately release the Hyde report as soon as it is legally able to," the spokesperson said.
South Australia Hyde Report Child Protection Peter Malinauskas Freedom Of Information
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