Full report into Debelle Inquiry into western suburbs primary school sex scandal released

THE State Government has released the unedited version of the Debelle report into the botched handling of the sexual assault of a child at a western suburbs school.

LARGS Bay Primary School has been named as the school at the centre of the Debelle report.

The State Government has released the unedited version of the report, which focused on the Education Department’s botched handling of the 2010 rape of a child at the school.

Thousands of pages of transcripts of evidence and other material collected by Royal Commissioner Bruce Debelle will also be released once the Crown Solicitor’s office has reviewed it. Attorney-General John Rau asked the media not to name the school but the Government published it on the Education Department’s website yesterday.

Opposition deputy leader Vickie Chapman said she was concerned that Mr Rau had not released the transcripts and evidence as Mr Debelle recommended.

“Mr Debelle has already made an assessment of what should be released and what should remain confidential,” she said. “We don’t need the Government second guessing the work of Commissioner Debelle.”

Largs Bay principal Mike Tate declined to comment on the school being named.

Mr Debelle recommended when he released the report in July last year that the final, unedited report and transcript be released after the finalisation of a legal event.

This involved action against Mark Christopher Harvey, who was found guilty of sexual abuse charges that sparked the inquiry. The period in which he was eligible to appeal has now passed.

The unedited report also revealed Harvey had previously worked at Le Fevre Peninsula Primary School, St Joseph’s Hectorville and Westport Primary School.

A spokesman for Education Minister Jennifer Rankine said that parents at the schools where Harvey worked were notified of his conviction in November 2012.

Mr Rau said the Director of Public Prosecutions advised his office last month that the legal event referred to by Mr Debelle had occurred.

“I have been advised by Crown Solicitor’s office that transcripts and exhibits from the Debelle Royal Commission may contain details the disclosure of which would constitute a breach of various statutory provisions including Section 71A (4) of the Evidence Act which serves to protect the victims of sexual abuse,” Mr Rau said yesterday.

“Crown is now working through the significant volume of material to consider whether redactions are necessary to avoid breaches of this or other statutory provisions.

“I have asked that Crown work as quickly as possible to review the documents and I will table them in Parliament once that work is completed.”