Kris Hanns, an independent member of the South Australian Parliament who is also a lawyer specialising in criminal defence, has called on Parliament to set up an inquiry into how the Special Investigations Unit mishandled child sex abuse allegations relating to Tom Easling. Kris has issued the following statement:
When Parliament resumes in February I will call for a Parliamentary inquiry into how the Special Investigations Unit of the Department of Families & Communities handled child sex abuse allegations against public servant Tom Easling.
Mr Easling was cleared of sex abuse charges as a foster carer. However, serious questions were publicly raised as to how competently officers of the Department’s Special Investigations Unit handled the investigation. The seriousness of child sex abuse allegations, and the stigma that Mr Easling must carry for the rest of his life, make it critical that any investigation be conducted strictly in accordance with law and best practice. Parliament needs to examine how the Department of Families & Communities’ Special Investigations Unit got it so wrong.