Buswell probe: Legal advice released

The State Solicitor's Office told WA Police there were "no reasonable prospects" of convicting disgraced former treasurer Troy Buswell of drink-driving. Source: News Corp Australia

THERE were "no reasonable prospects" of convicting disgraced former treasurer Troy Buswell of drink-driving, according to a letter to WA Police from the State Solicitor's Office.

Documents relating the February car crash that derailed Mr Buswell's political career have been released publicly today, following a parliamentary committee hearing examining the police investigation into the incident.

A letter from the State Solicitor's Office, dated March 31, has been released, which details legal advice for police on the possible charges for Mr Buswell.

FULL DOCUMENTS SUBMITTED TO THE COMMITTEE:

- STATE SOLICITOR'S ADVICE TO POLICE

- POLICE DAMAGE REPORT OVER BUSWELL'S CAR

- MINIBUS DRIVER'S STATEMENT TO POLICE

- BUSWELL'S FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF'S STATEMENT TO POLICE

- POLICE INSPECTOR'S FULL WITNESS STATEMENT

In the letter, senior assistant state counsel John O'Sullivan says the prospects of Mr Buswell being convicted of drink driving or dangerous driving in court were low, given the available evidence.

The police statements of Mr Buswell's former chief-of-staff Rachael Turnseck, who was at a wedding with Mr Buswell the night of the crash, and those of other witnesses have also been released online.

It comes after the Community Development and Justice Standing Committee heard yesterday that the initial police response to the incident, which was phoned in by a witness, took just nine minutes.

The committee was also told by senior WA police officials that police were unsuccessful in contacting Mr Buswell after the car crash was made public by a media report in March, and did not know where he was until they saw a photograph of him in Busselton in a newspaper.

Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan told the hearing that even if Mr Buswell had admitted to drink-driving on the night, police would still not have been able to charge him with it.

"There was insufficient evidence and there was contradictory evidence, so it's very, very difficult to charge someone with a drink-driving offence after the fact," he said.

Mr Buswell entered an endorsed plea of guilty to 11 charges last month — including careless driving, failing to stop and failing to report — and was fined $3100 and banned from driving for 12 months.

He stepped down from his treasury and transport portfolios after the incident was reported in the media, citing a mental health breakdown at the time.

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Storm dumps 85mm on Bunbury

A STRONG cold front has dumped 85mm of rain on Bunbury and will bring more rain to Perth and the south of the state.

Bunbury recorded 52mm overnight to 9am today — with more than 30mm falling in an hour early today — and has had another 33mm since.

Nearby Ferguson Valley recorded 66mm to 9am, while Dardanup and Collie had 57mm and Donnybrook 47mm.

Falls in other centres appear to be more sporadic and isolated, but many recorded 20mm-30mm.

More than 32mm was recorded in Bunbury in a torrential downpour from 6.20am to 7.20am.

By early afternoon Bunbury had recorded 85mm and more showers are possible.

The Bureau of Meteorology issued a Severe Weather warning for the South West early today, which was later extended to the South Coast and Great Southern — from a line from Windy Harbour, to Collie and east to Bremer Bay.

An earlier warning for people in the Bunbury/Busselton region has been cancelled.

"The Bureau of Meteorology advises a cold front and mid-level disturbance is currently crossing the southwest of the state. Conditions are expected to ease by the afternoon.

"The front is likely to cause heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding this morning that could result in damage to homes and property.

"This is typical weather for this time of year but could damage homes and make travel dangerous. Thirty two millimetres has been recorded in Bunbury in the hour to 7.20am.

"The bad weather is expected to move in an easterly direction and should clear by this afternoon.''

Perth is set for a cool, showery day with the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting a 90 per cent chance of rain with the chance of a storm.

The Bureau radar shows the bulk of the rain band passing across the South West, south of the city.

If the rain reaches the southern agricultural areas, it will be more good news for farmers who have had fantastic opening rains, boosting prospects of a good grain-growing season.

In the Great Southern, Kohonup had 16mm to 9am, but other centres are yet to receive any significant rainfall.

In the metropolitan area, falls to 9am were light, with most suburbs getting less than 5mm. By 11am Mandurah had nearly 20mm, while Perth has had just 2mm and Swanbourne, Jandakot and Champion Lakes 4mm.

Dwellingup, just 97km south of the city, has had 28mm.

In the south of the state Mt Bartker has had 20m and Rocky Gully, west of Mt Barker, has had 13mm, but looks set to receive substantially more as they front moves across the southern half of the state.

Perth can expect a week of cool, showery weather with showers or rain forecast through the week, with maximums around 20C. Thursday could be the wettest day, with showers tipped to increase late in the day with the chance of a storm.

PERTH: THE WEEK AHEAD

Tuesday

Max 22C

Few showers, chance of a storm.

Chance of any rain: 90%

Wednesday

Min 14C

Max 23C

Shower or two.

Thursday

Min 15C

Max 22C

Showers increasing. Late storm risk.

Friday

Min 14C

Max 20C

Few showers.

Saturday

Min 14C

Max 20C

Shower or two.

Sunday

Min 11C

Max 19C

Cloud clearing.

Monday

Min 12C

Max 20C

Partly cloudy.

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Indon pair deny 100-death voyage charges

Asylum seekers on the upturned vessel in June 2012. More than 100 men died at sea. Source: Supplied

Indonesian nationals Boy Djara and Justhen Justhen are on trial in the Perth District Court. Source: Supplied

TWO Indonesian nationals accused of taking part in an ill-fated people smuggling voyage to Christmas Island which claimed more than 100 lives have pleaded not guilty.

Boy Djara and Justhen Justhen are on trial in the Perth District Court having pleaded not guilty to one charge each of assisting a group of five or more unlawful non-citizens into Australia and five charges each of assisting a group of five or more unlawful non-citizens into Australia in a way that gave rise to danger of death or serious injury.

The pair are the only two surviving crew members from a June 2012 capsizing that saw more than 100 men die at sea.

In his opening address to the jury, Commonwealth Prosecutor Alan Troy told the court that on June 21, 2012, Australian authorities were alerted to a vessel capsizing in international waters.

About 4.58am, an Australian Customs aircraft spotted a capsized vessel, 110 nautical miles from Christmas Island.

Dozens of people in life jackets were spotted clinging to the wreck or to floating debris.

Mr Troy said despite the incident being in Indonesian rescue waters, Australia took control of the situation because they were the ones called for help by people on board the boat via a satellite phone.

Mr Troy said it was alleged Mr Djara and Mr Justhen used a GPS unit to help steer a wooden fishing vessel, about 15m-20m long and 3m-5m wide, packed with 210 passengers, before it started taking on water.

The passengers were all males, and of the 108 who survived, most were from Pakistan, some from Afghanistan and one from Iran.

There were also four crew members on board.

Two of the crew members, a man aged in his 40s or 50s who primarily steered the boat and a man in his 20s who looked after the engine, both died in the capsizing.

Mr Troy said on June 18, 2012, "more than 200 non-Indonesian males gathered on a beach in the middle of the night."

"They got on to speedboats and smaller boats controlled by Indonesian men who were not the accused and were delivered to the larger vessel moored in deeper waters," Mr Troy said.

Mr Troy said it will be alleged there were concerns too many people were coming to the boat and when one of the accused tried to stop more passengers coming on board, he was shoved back onto the larger boat.

"The vessel was grossly overcrowded," Mr Troy said.

He said the boat had only been sailing for a short time when it had become stuck on a sand bank three kilometres from land.

Mr Troy said the two accused helped throw ropes to Indonesian fishermen who eventually pulled the stuck boat free.

He said at least one of the accused warned passengers not to make any references that they were travelling to Australia to the fishermen helping.

On the fourth day, the boat ran into trouble again.

Mr Troy said a passenger saw water fill the engine room, it started to tip to the right and then it rolled.

He said it will be alleged the life jackets on board were inadequate and did not float well, some even ripped in the panic.

There will also be evidence that the boat did not have any corking or stuffing between it's wooden planks, causing water to come in.

Mr Troy said it will be alleged Mr Justhen was saved after the initial rescue operation and told some of his rescuers he had been paid five million Indonesian rupiah to take part.

This afternoon, crew members from a customs aircraft that spotted the vessel on the day before and the day of the capsizing gave evidence.

One of the men, electronic observer Paul Wetering, was on the plane on June 20 — the day before tragedy struck.

Mr Wetering said the boat was sitting low in the water.

"For us that would mean it was probably fairly laden," he said.

Mr Wetering told the jury he saw "quite a few objects on the deck" and it was not until he saw a person walking that he realised all of the objects were people.

Kym Epping was in command of the surveillance flights on both days.

He told the jury on June 21 when they found the upturned vessel, people were clinging to the hull and were floating in the sea.

"There were survivors in an oil slick," he said.

The trial continues.

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What would you ask Colin Barnett?

Colin Barnett at the Marie Antoinette Cafe in Cottesloe with reporter Yasmine Phillips for PerthNow's Coffee with Colin segment. Picture: Marie Nirme Source: News Corp Australia

GOT a question for WA Premier Colin Barnett? Now's your chance to ask it.

Perthnow readers are being given the opportunity to pick the questions they believe Mr Barnett should answer in the third instalment of Coffee with Colin.

Mr Barnett will sit down with Perthnow on Thursday morning and answer the five questions readers most want answered.

Coffee with Colin: Public transport fares will rise

'It's about time Perth grew up and became a more vibrant city'

He'll also have to response to one "wildcard question" chosen from readers' comments so suggest a question below or on the Perthnow Facebook page.

In the first Coffee with Colin, Mr Barnett told West Australians who believe Perth's new stadium and the Elizabeth Quay should pay the price for education cuts to "get a life."

In the second instalment, he confessed he'd known Treasurer Troy Buswell "drank too much."

Vote below to have your say on what questions we ask the Premier on Thursday.

VOTE: Which questions should we ask the Premier?

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Speaker defends $27k furniture bill

The WA parliamentary Speaker has defended spending almost $27,000 on furniture for his office at a time when the public service is being made to tighten its belt.

Parliamentary Speaker Michael Sutherland has defended spending almost $27,000 on office furniture. Picture: Stewart Allen Source: News Corp Australia

THE WA parliamentary Speaker has defended spending almost $27,000 on furniture for his office at a time when the public service is being made to tighten its belt.

Michael Sutherland was asked about the furniture during Senate estimates hearings today, with an indignant opposition immediately calling a media conference about the boardroom table, 12 occasional chairs and a four-seater sofa bought for the Speaker's Suite.

"This is an outrageous amount of money to spend on a table and chairs and it shows just how arrogant and out of touch this government is with ordinary people," Labor's spokeswoman for finance Rita Saffioti said.

"Western Australians will be angry their taxes are being spent on indulgences for the Speaker when families are struggling and going without."

Mr Sutherland said the opposition had created a storm in a teacup as the purchase was budgeted in 2012/13.

He said the furniture was made locally and great value for money.

"The framemakers were in Malaga, the upholstery was done in Dunsborough, the table – which is not a heavy dining room-type table, it's on aluminium legs – was re-used from another table and is West Australian wood," Mr Sutherland told 6PR Radio

Mr Sutherland said the Speaker's Suite was being increasingly used for meetings and decent furniture was necessary when hosting visiting dignitaries.

"This is the premier public building in the state," he said. "There's furniture in the Speaker's Suite that is over 20 years old."

● Extravagant or appropriate? Give us your take on the Speaker's furniture bill.

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’They got the bastard’: Rolf accuser

A woman who alleges Rolf Harris indecently assaulted her has rejected suggestions she instigated relations.

Artist and television personality Rolf Harris arrives at Southwark Crown Court in London, England. Picture: Peter Macdiarmid Source: Getty Images

A WOMAN has described the tears of relief that washed over her as they "got the bastard" and arrested Rolf Harris four decades after he allegedly indecently groped her on the dance floor in New Zealand.

Three women from different corners of the world gave evidence against the 84-year-old entertainer yesterday including one who alleged he apologised to her moments after an assault.

A New Zealand woman told the court she was working for a wine company serving sparkling wine at a function on North Island in 1970 when she was about 16 years.

She said she saw the then famous star and had asked him for an autograph. He in turned asked her for a dance and it was while they were on the dance floor of the function at a local restaurant that he allegedly assaulted her.

"In a flash, in a moment I saw the dark side of a man who I thought could be trusted," the woman said.

"We were in a public place. He slid his hand down by back then up under my dress and put his hand between my dress."

The woman cried in court as she recalled how she pulled away and after collecting her belongings immediately left the venue before her shift had finished. She later told her mother but did not report it to police. In 2013 when Harris was arrested the woman described her elation.

"Oh I told you they'd finally get the bastard, I was so relieved, all these years later it was unbelievable the relief I felt," she said after she contacted an Australian media group to help find a contact for police to report the incident.

Veteran Australian entertainer Rolf Harris, centre, who is accused of indecent assault, accompanied by members of his family, arrives at Southwark Crown Court in London. Picture: Lefteris Pitarakis Source: AP

Under cross examination by Harris' lawyer Sonia Woodley QC she reacted with anger at suggestions she had made the story up and the "twisting of her words".

"How do you sleep at night?" she asked Ms Woodley loudly to which the lawyer replied she had a job to do.

Another witness from the UK then described how she was allegedly assaulted while on holiday in Malta with a boyfriend. She said Harris had given the couple some advice on where there was a doctor after the boyfriend cut his foot. The woman returned to the beach bar where they had encountered Harris and two men to thank him and let him know things were okay. It was at this point the woman, then 18 years old, said she saw a large framed drawing on the wall of two little boys with two rocking horses in the bar which Harris confirmed he had painted. He then invited her to a back room ostensibly to see other works.

The woman alleged Harris had pushed her up against a wall in the room and started to kiss her. She said she initially felt flattered by a friendly kiss but then it turned "slobbery" and he put his hands over her breasts and later under her skirt, into her underwear and into her vagina and grabbed her hand and put it over his clothes onto his penis. She said the motion was all very quick when he suddenly stopped, cuddled her and said "I'm sorry" before leading her back out to the bar area.

An earlier witness from Darwin recalled 1969 when she was staying with friends as a sick 11 year old and Harris, also staying at the home, asked her how old she was.

She said she told him and he then allegedly replied "Good I want to be the first one to introduce you to a tongue kiss".

"I just stood there, I didn't say anything, I froze … then he walked up towards me," she said and described the kiss which she said had affected her relationships and intimacy for years.

Under cross examination Ms Woodley asked if it was that incident that affected her relationships or the fact she had been allegedly assaulted by a cousin when she was 17 to which the woman said it was the Harris assault when she was a child.

Harris has pled not guilty to 12 counts of indecent assault.

The case is continuing.

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Barnett ‘put Jackman, footy first’

The Opposition believes Mr Barnett should have been in Sydney on the weekend, rather than seeing Matthew Pavlich achieve his 300th game for the Fremantle Dockers. Source: News Corp Australia

LABOR has lashed the WA premier for missing a crisis meeting of his state and territory counterparts to discuss the Federal Government's planned public hospital funding cuts.

The Opposition has also taken aim at Colin Barnett for saying the cuts won't kick in for several years, with WA hospitals facing a $196 million reduction in funding over four years from July 1. "Mr Barnett has been saying 'it's four years away, there's nothing to worry about'. This is not a problem that is a long way away in the future. This is on us now," WA opposition leader Mark McGowan told reporters today.

"There needs to be a sense of urgency about addressing this. Mr McGowan said Mr Barnett's non-attendance was "reprehensible and unforgivable", and his priorities were out of whack, given he reportedly attended a Hugh Jackman event and a football game (Matthew Pavlich's 300th game, against Geelong at Subiaco) instead.

"Originally, I thought it was just slackness and laziness. Now I think it's irresponsibility.

"He should have been on an aircraft to Sydney to argue the case for the state.

"This is going to impact people's lives."

Late today, the premier conceded that the Federal Government's planned public hospital funding cuts will start having an impact from July 1, but the state won't cover the shortfalls.

Mr Barnett has promised to instead the next Council of Australian Governments meeting.

Mr Barnett said he had "very good reasons" for skipping the Sydney gathering: GST distribution wasn't on the agenda and that is the key issue facing WA, so he will attend the next Council of Australian Governments meeting later this year, where it will be discussed before Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

There is "an unnecessary sense of panic" about the cuts, he added.

Mr Barnett previously said he was in no rush to discuss the health and education budget cuts because they wouldn't kick in for several years.

But today he admitted some impact would be felt, particularly in health, from the start of the new financial year. "There are some National Partnership Agreements that it appears the Commonwealth may not continue. If that is the case, they will finish - the state is not in a position to pick up that gap in funding," Mr Barnett said.

"Some of the states - NSW and Queensland in particularly - at previous COAG meetings did special deals with the Gillard government. They can hardly be surprised that those deals have disappeared." He flagged potential changes to eligibility for pensioner cards and health-care cards.

"Under the worst scenario, there would be $24 million less coming to WA. We would maintain our commitment, but we're not going to pick up any reduction in commonwealth entitlement." While he previously said Mr Abbott had not flagged the funding changes at the previous COAG meeting, he claimed the prime minister had foreshadowed states and territories taking increased responsibility for education and health.

Hugh Jackman at a star-studded launch of his foundation at the WA Aademy of Performing Arts on Saturday.

"Everyone agreed that was the way to go." According to Mr Barnett, Mr Abbott also said there would be some compensatory arrangements, with the Commonwealth taking on increased responsibilities in other areas.

While WA hospitals faced a $196 million funding cut over the next four financial years, the overall impact of the federal budget on the state was positive, including "a slightly better position on GST ... and some funding in particular areas"

Meanwhile, Federal opposition health spokeswoman Catherine King said it was extraordinary that the first time the state premiers heard about the "cruel" cuts was two hours before the budget was handed down. "It is a complete contempt of states and territories," Ms King said.

"It's a shame the Western Australian Premier doesn't appear to be as angry as the other states." Ms King said the federal government should not be funding the Medical Research Future Fund from the new Medicare co-payment and other savings to hospital and health spending.

She said Labor was committed to fighting the cuts.

● Should Mr Barnett have been in Sydney or Subi?

Opposition leader Mark McGowan says proposed national health cuts will affect West Australians soon.

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Doubt grows over MH370 ‘pings’

Technical troubles have hindered a resumption of the search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.

NEW doubt has crept into the search for Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 after the Australian search agency said it would not make public the audio recordings of four acoustic "ping" signals.

After strong initial certainty they were hearing black box transmissions, the Joint Agency Coordination Centre headed by Angus Houston now appears less certain that they came from the plane.

"Analysis on all four detections is continuing," said the JACC in a statement to News Corp Australia.

"The recordings of the detections will not be released at this point in time."

RELATED: Captain Zaharie's family defend his reputation

Retired Air Chief Marshall Houston had earlier said he could see no issue with releasing the audio, but that position has changed after six weeks of intense examination of the signals.

Questions are now being raised over the legitimacy of the two sets of pings, detected by the Ocean Shield's towed-pinger locater on April 5 and 8, and why they need further analysis given they have already been subject to extensive scrutiny.

Mission commander ... Chief Coordinator of the Joint Agency Coordination Centre, Former Air Chief Angus Houston. Picture: Gary Ramage Source: News Corp Australia

And a new note of doubt yesterday crept into the JACC's language.

"We continue to pursue this lead to either discount or confirm the area of the detections as the final resting place of MH370," the JACC stated, noting that Mr Houston still believed the four signals were the most promising lead.

"At this point in time, it is too early to discount any of the acoustic detections."

The four recordings, taken on April 5 and 8, were immediately sent to a secret facility at HMAS Albatross, in Nowra, NSW, called the Australian Joint Acoustic Analysis Centre.

One of the main purposes of the Nowra facility is to provide real-time feedback to Australian submarines that need instant analysis of potentially hostile frequencies.

Only days after the detections were first sent to the analysis centre, which stores a library of underwater sounds, Mr Houston said the transmissions had already been "analysed again and again".

The international frequency standard for black boxes is 37.5kHz, and Mr Houston said an April 5 transmission was detected 33.331 kilohertz, pulsing at 1.106 second intervals.

Even though this was below 37.5kHz, it was an acceptable margin of error and Mr Houston was confident the pulsing was "identical" to an emergency beacon locator and likely from MH370.

Element of doubt ... Commander Joint Task Force 658, Commodore Peter Leavy, right, United States Navy Salvage Supervisor, Captain Mark Matthews, left, and ADV Ocean Shield RAN Mission Commander, Commander James Lybrand, centre, at a media conference in front of the Australian navy vessel Ocean Shield. Picture: Greg Wood Source: AFP

But last week, the Wall Street Journal quoted Australian naval officer Commander James Lybrand, as doubting that the second set of pings was from the plane's cockpit voice recorder or flight data beacons.

The second transmissions from April 8 were at 27 kHz, and gave Commander Lybrand little confidence. "As far as frequency goes, between 33 kHz and 27 kHz is a pretty large jump," he told the WSJ.

Mr Houston was asked on April 9 whether he would release some of the audio. "We'll take a look at that. I don't see why not," he said at the time.

One possible reason for the JACC's reluctance is that it would only cause more speculation from so-called experts. However, the mystery is already so awash with wild theories that its release would unlikely cause the searchers to lose focus.

But the fact that analysts were continuing to pore over the transmissions suggests they are reviewing earlier assumptions they did come from the jet's black boxes.

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Top cops grilled over Buswell crash scandal

Former treasurer Troy Buswell, pictured on his first day back at Parliament earlier this month, is not being called as a witness to the parliamentary hearing. Picture: File image Source: News Corp Australia

WA's police chief has conceded that even if Troy Buswell had admitted to drink-driving, it's still unlikely there would have been enough evidence to charge him with that offence.

Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan today gave evidence to a parliamentary committee examining police's handling of the former treasurer's car crash scandal in February.

The hearing was told police unsuccessfully tried to contact Mr Buswell multiple times after the incident.

WA Police have not spoken with beleaguered former treasurer since his car crash fiasco in February. And the committee was told they could not locate the Vasse MP in the two weeks after his incident was brought to light by the media – until they saw a photograph of Mr Buswell walking around Busselton in a newspaper.

The Community Development and Justice Standing Committee is conducting an agency review hearing into the handling of the Buswell case by WA Police.

The committee was also told the initial police response to the incident – after a witness reported seeing a car swerving on the road, hitting other cars and that the person who emerged from the vehicle looked a lot like Mr Buswell and could barely stand upright – was completed in just nine minutes.

Mr Buswell crashed into four cars and a telephone pole in Subiaco as he drove home from a wedding in Kings Park in the early hours of February 23.

This afternoon, the police statement from Buswell's former chief-of-staff Rachael Turnseck was read out to the committee.

Ms Turnseck told police although she and Mr Buswell were drinking throughout the evening at the wedding, she did not know how much he drank.

The damaged front of Troy Buswell's ministerial car, which was towed away for further police examination today. Picture: Nine News

She said she went to Mr Buswell's house the next day and he told her his car was damaged and he had no memory of driving home.

Dr O'Callaghan reiterated to the committee the first he had heard of the incident was when local media contacted his media adviser on March 9.

Committee chairwoman Margaret Quirk queried whether it sent a terrible message that people could get away with drink driving. Dr O'Callaghan said drink driving has always been hard to prosecute.

Dr O'Callaghan acknowledged if the information was better able to be integrated, police would have responded "in a different way".

He told the committee Mr Buswell had done nothing wrong in the eyes of the law by using his right to silence.

Dr O'Callaghan conceded that even if Mr Buswell had admitted drink-driving on the night it was still unlikely police would have been able to charge him.

"There was insufficient evidence and there was contradictory evidence, so it's very, very difficult to charge someone with a drink-driving offence after the fact," he said.

Troy Buswell at the February 22 wedding reception.

● Buswell fined, banned after admitting post-wedding crash charges

● Buswell breaks silence, refuses to confirm if he was drink-driving

Commander Alf Fordham, from the State Traffic Operations unit, told the committee they had not been able to interview or speak with Mr Buswell since the incident.

Commander Fordham said he tried calling Mr Buswell's mobile multiple times after the incident came to light on March 9, but the calls all went to his voicemail.

He admitted police did not know where Mr Buswell was.

On March 13, a lawyer acting for Mr Buswell called police to say the former treasurer would not be participating in a recorded interview with police.

The hearing was told Mr Buswell was offered a lift home twice by a limousine driver who was taking other guests home from the wedding.

In her police statement, read to the committee today, Troy Buswell's former chief-of-staff Rachael Turnseck said her then-boss had no memory of driving home when she visited him the next day.

But both times he told them he was walking home.

The committee was also told the police went to "great lengths" after they knew about the incident on March 9 to piece together what happened that night.

But they still did not know what happened between Mr Buswell's last sighting walking down the driveway from the wedding around midnight and his erratic driving around 1.30am.

Mr Buswell entered an endorsed plea of guilty to 11 charges last month – including careless driving, failing to stop and failing to report – and was fined $3100 and banned from driving for 12 months.

Police Assistance Centre officer-in-charge Lance Martin told the hearing the call from witnesses about the incident was received by a police call taker at 1.28am on February 23. After the call ended at 1.35am, it was passed on to a dispatcher as a Priority 3 under a 317 code, which means driving under the influence.

Officers on patrol received the dispatch at 1.45am and responded to the job.

Supt Martin said the response time was under 10 minutes, which was well under the 25-minute benchmark set for Priority 3 jobs.

Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan told a parliamentary committee today that Troy Buswell had done nothing wrong in the eyes of the law by using his right to silence. Picture: File image

The hearing was told the officers took just nine minutes to complete their investigation of the area, which included looking for smashed cars or suspicious persons and looking through the gate of Mr Buswell's Roberts Road home to see the car in question parked inside. The matter was closed at 1.54am.

The officers noted the house was in darkness and there were no tyre marks visible on the road. They did not approach the front door of the house.

Supt Martin said while the WA Police's Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system did receive a feed from Landgate, which could have alerted the officers to the owner of the house, the system did not have the capability to integrate the data.

The CAD system was developed in the late 1990s, and built in 2003.

The vehicle's registration plate was not checked against the database during the initial report of the incident.

Supt Martin said there was no requirement for plates to be checked, but admitted it could have been an oversight.

At a press conference this afternoon, Premier Colin Barnett said the hearing was "unnecessary" and a "political exercise".

"It is an investigation into the police, not into Troy Buswell," he said.

"Troy has been extremely unwell, he is still unwell, and I just find it appalling that the Labor Party and Mark McGowan in particular continue to pursue someone who is clearly having mental health problems.

"I in no way excuse or condone his actions on that night, but he did have a serious breakdown, he has been through the court process, he has been treated no differently from any other citizen. He's lost his job, he's been fined, he's lost his licence. Fortunately no one was hurt in that incident."

The committee is due to hand down its report next month.

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Man badly hurt in speedboat crash

A Perth father is in intensive care after a high speed boat crash.

A PERTH father was seriously injured in a high-speed boat crash at the weekend.

Anthony Knight fell from his boat when the two speedboats collided at 100km/h at the meet on Sunday.

Nine News reported the 40-year-old father was pulled unconscious from the water, with broken ribs, a broken pelvis and a punctured lung.

Vision was captured showing the moment of impact and immediate aftermath when panic set in.

Mr Knight was an experienced driver, it was reported.

The crash occurred at the WA Speed Boat Club's final championship race day for the season.

The high-speed boat crash that injured a 40-year-old man. Picture: Nine News

Nine News reported that Mr Knight had been trying to execute a race manoeuvre and may have steered into the path of the speeding vessel.

Mr Knight has been in an induced coma at Royal Perth Hospital and today underwent extensive surgery with doctors hopeful he will make a full recovery, it was reported.

Tonight he was in a serious but stable condition.

It was also reported the Australian Power Boat Association is investigating and says all safety procedures were followed.

The aftermath of a high-speed boat crash that injured a 40-year-old man. Picture: Nine News

Anthony Knight before the crash. Picture: Nine News

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