Legislative Council Tuesday 5 June 2007

[This version of the document has been edited by Dr Robert N Moles
Underlining where it occurs is for editorial emphasis]

If you wish to comment on this matter, you can email to "dennis.hood@parliament.sa.gov.au" or write to "Dennis Hood, Family First, c/o Parliament House, North Tce, Adelaide 5000"

CALA, Dr A

The Hon TJ STEPHENS:

I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Leader of the Government a question about the state's top pathologist.

Leave granted.

The Hon TJ STEPHENS:

I have been advised that there have been serious allegations of incompetence regard­ing our state's pathologist, DrAllan Cala. DrCala's case was featured on Channel 7's Today Tonight program last evening.

The Hon BV Finnigan:

Very authoritative.

The Hon TJ STEPHENS:

The Hon Mr Finnigan poo poos this, but I can assure you, Mr President, that it is quite serious

The Hon BV Finnigan interjecting:

The PRESIDENT:

The Hon Mr Finnigan is out of order!

The Hon TJ STEPHENS:

I refer to an article which appeared in The Daily Telegraph and which states:

The possibility of a mass review by health authorities follows a finding that a senior forensic pathologist Dr Allan Cala was guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct after he wrongly ruled a double murder was an accident.

The findings of the NSW Medical Board's professional standards committee can now be revealed after a suppression order was lifted. Dr Cala, who worked at the Glebe institute but is now South Australia's top pathologist, was fined $5500 for bungling the inquiry into the deaths of Pam and Bill Weightman, who were murdered by their adopted son David in 2000.

The Weightmans' bodies were found in their car at the bottom of an embankment at Heathcote, south of Sydney. Dr Cala, who performed post mortem examinations on the couple, ruled they had died in a car accident. But, last year, it was revealed David Weightman had staged the accident after he drugged, strangled and suffocated his parents. Their bruises were sustained as they fought for their lives.

The Health Care Complaints Commission later took action against Dr Cala, whose high-profile cases include the Norfolk Island murder of Janelle Patton. Dr Cala told the hearing he had requested more information from the police, but completed his autopsy report without receiving it. He also failed to document his concerns to the police and the coroner, the committee found. Photographs of the bodies, which Dr Cala initially denied taking before saying he had, have gone missing. In a further bungle, Dr Cala discovered he had prepared a post-mortem report on the wrong body after typing an incorrect number for MrWeightman's brain into his computer.

The report goes on. My question is: can the Leader of the Government inform the council of the level of confidence his government has in Dr Cala's ability and advise what he will do to reassure the people of South Australia that they can have confidence in the part Dr Cala plays in the judicial system?

The Hon P HOLLOWAY (Minister for Police):

The forensic pathology section comes under the jurisdiction of my colleague the Attorney-General. I will refer that question to him and bring back the appropriate answer.

Top of Page