After two weeks, an attempted censure motion and an absent Premier, two Gutwein government Ministers have finally apologised for their reprehensible behaviour in Parliament and the impact it has had on victim-survivors.
It is incomprehensible that the Justice Minister Elise Archer and Infrastructure Minister Michael Ferguson took so long to simply say they were sorry for the harm they caused by audibly groaning to my questions during the last Parliamentary sitting, directly quoting victim-survivor Tiffany Skeggs.
It is equally incomprehensible that Ms Skeggs and other victim-survivors had to be re-traumatised and speak out about the harm caused to them by the refusal to apologise before Ms Archer and Mr Ferguson finally did so.
Now that they have done the right thing, both Ministers need to work to repair the damage they have caused.
This shameful episode has undermined victim-survivors’ confidence in the government’s commitment to the important work of the Commission of Inquiry.
If the Gutwein government has any hope of restoring that confidence, it needs to really listen to victim-survivors and show them the empathy and respect they deserve.
Government members should start by undertaking training on trauma-informed responses to ensure this insensitive and damaging behaviour never happens again.
Rebecca White MP
Labor Leader
