Oakden report clears key SA ministers
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An inquiry into Adelaide’s failed Oakden nursing home has cleared former state government ministers Jack Snelling and Leesa Vlahos of maladministration but has found it “astonishing” they were unaware of the shocking treatment of residents.
Independent Commissioner Against Corruption Bruce Lander released his report on Wednesday declaring the Oakden affair a “shameful chapter in the state’s history”.
Mr Lander described the facility as a disgrace and said the residents were forgotten and ignored.
“Every South Australian should be outraged at the way in which these consumers were treated,” he said.
“It should not have happened. It must never happen again.”
Opposition Leader Steven Marshall said the Oakden report was a “dark day” and a “shocking indictment” of a disgraceful government.
“The report illustrates a government that has lost touch, a cabinet that doesn’t care and a premier who runs a protection racket for incompetent ministers,” Mr Marshall said.
SA-BEST leader Nick Xenophon called on the state government to now release cabinet discussions in relation to Oakden, something Mr Lander said he was denied.
“Only with the release of all relevant cabinet papers will the full truth of the government’s shameful failure be revealed,” he said.
Mr Lander made findings of maladministration against five people who either worked at Oakden or were health department officials.
Those were named as Oakden nursing director Kerim Skelton, service manager Julie Harrison, Oakden nurse Merrilyn Penery and departmental officials Dr Russell Draper and Arthur Moutakis.
The commissioner ruled that the conduct of Mr Snelling, the former health minister and Ms Vlashos, the former mental health minister did not amount to maladministration.
“Those findings do not, however, tell the entire story of responsibility for what went wrong at the Oakden facility,” he said.
“Senior people, including some ministers and chief executives who were responsible by virtue of their office for the delivery of care and services to the consumers should have known what was going on but did not.
“I find this astonishing.”
Mr Lander said there were systemic failings in the processes and oversight that allowed the events at Oakden to occur for more than a decade, largely without intervention.
He described a “culture of secrecy”, with those responsible for the home trying to manage issues “in-house”.
“Persons in authority outside of the Oakden Facility were unaware of the systemic failings occurring in the facility,” he said.
“They ought to have known of those failings.”
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