Premier Chris Minns is standing by his police minister Yasmin Catley,who is facing calls to resign.Credit:Dominic Lorrimer
“The family had not been informed of this ... Let’s let LECC do the work that we have charged them to do.”
Speakman said the admission “really questions the competence of her team and her fitness and ability to remain as police minister”.
“I think the premier needs to give consideration to removing the police minister,” the opposition leader said.
The incident is the latest in a string of controversies surrounding the beleaguered police minister,who has been criticised for going “missing in action” after she did not address press questions from the media for several days following Nowland’s Tasering.
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Catley was also forced to defend police after it was revealed mentally ill father Wayne Smith had his firearms licence revoked and then reinstated before he shot and killed his 15-year-old son in the north coast town of Yamba on June 1.
But Minns dismissed those criticisms,adding he retained confidence in Catley. He rejected any suggestion of a cover-up,saying the reasons for leaving out the Tasering had been “well-ventilated” and “seem reasonable to me”.
“I think the circumstances relating to the original media release as described by the police commissioner are reasonable given the circumstances,” Minns said.
“And I’m not going to nitpick over the communication strategy of the NSW Police ... effectively the police commissioner is taking responsibility for it because she’s made clear the reasons for it and I’m saying I understand those reasons and I believe they’re acceptable.”
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Minns said he was “not aware” of the circumstances around why the family had not been informed.
“I’m aware that it’s a big extended family,” he said.
A NSW Police spokeswoman said the priority was to ensure family members learned details of the incident directly from police rather than third parties.
“The determination of the content and timing of information released to media on 17 May 2023 was made in consideration of Mrs Nowland’s extended family,the gravity of the situation and that the critical investigation team was not on the ground until that evening,” she said.
“The approach taken was consistent with NSW Police policies.”
Nowland,a mother of eight,grandmother of 24,and great-grandmother of 29,who suffered from dementia,died in Cooma base hospital on May 24.
NSW Police Senior ConstableKristian White has been charged with recklessly causing grievous bodily harm,assault occasioning actual bodily harm,and common assault. He is due to appear in court next month and intends to fight the charges.