On Tuesday 17 May 2022, the Hon. Attorney-General Kyam Maher announced the independent review into the adequacy of the investigation and its engagement with the Woodford family, which will be led by the Hon. John Mansfield AM QC.
SafeWork SA welcome the opportunity, will provide all documents requested by Mr Mansfield for his consideration and looks forward to the release of his findings.
Background
In March 2016, Mrs. Gayle Woodford was abducted, raped, and murdered in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands (APY Lands), in or near the town of Fregon. Mrs. Woodford lived in the town, where she worked as a nurse employed by the Nganampa Health Council (NHC). In the course of her employment, Mrs. Woodford was occasionally required to be on-call, which required her to assess or treat patients presenting to her home.
In June 2017, Dudley Davey was sentenced for the rape and murder of Mrs. Woodford. He was sentenced to a mandatory term of life imprisonment. A non-parole period of 32 years was imposed.
In 2019 the Deputy State Coroner commenced an inquest into the circumstances of Ms Woodford’s death. The Finding of the Inquest was published on 15 April 2021 (the Report). Pursuant to section 232(1)(b) of the Work Health and Safety Act 2012 (WHS Act), any proceedings for an offence contrary to the Act had to be commenced within 1 year of the release of the Report.
After the release of the Report, SafeWork SA (SWSA) immediately commenced an investigation into the death of Mrs. Woodford. Following that investigation, SWSA determined that there was insufficient evidence to substantiate charges and that there was no reasonable prospect of conviction for an offence under the WHS Act in relation to Mrs. Woodford’s death.
Terms of Reference
The Reviewer shall inquire into, and report to the Attorney-General on:
- The adequacy of SWSA’s engagement with Ms Woodford’s family during its investigation into a possible offence under the WHS Act.
- The adequacy of SWSA’s investigation into whether Ms Woodford’s death gave rise to a reasonable prospect of conviction for an offence contrary to the WHS Act.
- Recommendations as to any other matters that may arise during the course of the inquiry.
The Reviewer will provide the report on the Inquiry to the Attorney-General by no later than 15 July 2022.
For the purposes of carrying out this inquiry, the Reviewer will consult with interested parties as he sees fit.