Mr McMULLAN (3:25 PM) —My question is to the Minister for Aged Care and follows that so recently asked by my colleague the member for Barton. Minister, why did you fail to quote the subsequent section of the Coroners Act, which says that a `person who has reasonable grounds to believe that a reportable death has not been reported must report as soon as possible to a coroner'? Given that you believed the circumstances warranted reference to the Australian Federal Police, why did you not act in accordance with that legislation? Why in fact did the Victorian coroner have to contact you to gain the information which you were legally obliged to provide to him?

Mrs BRONWYN BISHOP (Minister for Aged Care) —This is the parliament of Australia, not the debating society of a university. It is not uncommon for Commonwealth departments to seek the advice of the AFP on issues which may involve criminal matters. The AFP have responsibility for matters where Commonwealth legislation is involved and it is a quite common occurrence for people to consult the AFP. My colleague Senator Vanstone has said in the Senate today that the department and the AFP will be meeting later this week on how the Riverside concerns and any other concerns in other homes may be addressed. She did not rule out that there may be matters for the state police or the state coroner. As I said before, the report has been sent by my department to the AFP and is being dealt with in a perfectly regular way.