Royal Commission conducted by Bruce Debelle into school-sex abuse case cost taxpayers $1.1 million

FORMER Supreme Court judge Bruce Debelle charged taxpayers $442,695 to investigate the mishandling of a school sex-abuse case - four times the $100,000 cap.

FORMER Supreme Court judge Bruce Debelle charged taxpayers $442,695 to conduct his six-month investigation into the mishandling of a school sex-abuse case, documents show.

Freedom of Information documents obtained by the Opposition reveal the break-down of taxpayer payments as part of the $1.1 million investigation.

Mr Debelle's fees account for close to half the total expense, with charges from the Crown Solicitor's Office and Attorney-General's department making up the remainder.

The bill was paid by the Department for Education and Child Development. The Crown Solicitor's office took $478,727 for support work, understood to include secondment of staff to help Mr Debelle.

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The Attorney-General's department submitted invoices totalling $180,679 for expenses including advertising and $61,945 in transcription charges.

The large sum paid to Mr Debelle is despite indications his fees were to be capped at $100,000.

An undated and unsigned letter drafted by former education and child development minister Grace Portolesi sets out the terms of reference and fees for Mr Debelle's inquiry.

"Thank you for accepting the commission to lead the independent review," the letter states.

"I have instructed the department to make all relevant information and officers available to assist. As agreed, the fee will be $5000 per day, capped at $100,000 and the review is to commence immediately and is to be completed by the start of 2013."

Mr Debelle later sought several extensions of time and Royal Commission powers. The Government was unable to explain if the proposed $100,000 cap had ultimately been agreed to and why it had been exceeded.

The inquiry was sparked by a western suburbs school community's frustration that it had not been informed about the rape of a student by an out-of-school-hours carer.

When the report was released in July, then education department chief executive Keith Bartley branded it a "sobering chronicle of failures at every level" of the bureaucracy.

Opposition education spokesman David Pisoni said it was critical the report was acted on.

"Justice Debelle's report was a comprehensive and thorough investigation into the events surrounding the rape of a child at a western suburbs school," he said.

"At a cost of $1.1 million, it is imperative that the Weatherill Labor Government acts on the findings and recommendations put forward by Justice Debelle."

Mr Debelle is a former Law Society of SA president and SA Supreme Court justice.

Key recommendations from the inquiry included that the department establish a policy to inform a school community when allegations of sexual misconduct are made against employees.

He also called for the Education Minister be told "as soon as reasonably practicable" of allegations of sexual misconduct at schools after the department was made aware of them.

The State Government has pledged to implement all recommendations.