24 March 2026

Thank you Mr President, I rise to inform Honourable Members and members of the public interested in this case, the reason I have chosen to defer today’s notice of motion debate calling for a Commission of Inquiry into the Sue Neill-Fraser murder conviction.

I genuinely thank the Leader of Government Business and staff for facilitating an opportunity for Members to be briefed last Wednesday on the 18th March 2026.

It was considered appropriate by the Sue Neill-Fraser support team that this would be a closed session and conducted to enable frank and open discussion. Staff from the Department of Justice were present with the agreement of those attending.

That briefing was followed by further closed briefings to Members from Tasmania Police and the Office of the DPP, Director of Public Prosecutions.

Those briefings have provided new information for Members and, importantly, raised further questions — particularly in relation to the disclosure by the Crown of material that may have been relevant to the defence. Inquiries are now underway to determine the full circumstances of those matters.

As Honourable Members we have only one opportunity in a term of government to move a motion for a Commission of Inquiry into the Neill-Fraser case, I do not wish to press the House to a decision at this time, before additional information can be sought and obtained.

Mr President, this is a complex case, and it is an entirely circumstantial one – no body, no weapon, and no motive.

I will bring on the notice of motion for debate in due course. We need to get this right.

The fight for justice will continue.

And it must.

Because Mr President justice demands nothing less.