Labor report into Buswell crash 'unhinged'
A report into Troy Buswell's ministerial car crashes written by three opposition members has been slammed by the West Australian Police Commissioner as "completely unhinged".
In letters tabled in parliament on Thursday, Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan and Police Minister Liza Harvey said the report lacked objectivity and should be disregarded.
Mr Buswell quit cabinet after revelations he had a mental breakdown after crashing into parked cars, a pole and the front gate of his Subiaco home while returning from a wedding in the early hours of February 23.
The Community Development and Justice Standing Committee's report - which was written by Labor MPs Margaret Quirk, Tony Buti and Mick Murray - was highly-critical of the police investigation into the crash.
Mr O'Callaghan said the report "invented" conclusions and highlighted a lack of objectivity by the three members.
He also said the value of the report was diluted by two minority reports - written by Liberal MPs Chris Hatton and Ian Britza - that presented an entirely different view.
"What we've seen here is a committee that's gone out to achieve a certain position and tried to get facts to manipulate to get to that position," he told Fairfax radio on Thursday.
"They took evidence from us and manipulated that evidence so it fitted their pre-determined (position)."
Mr O'Callaghan said he had never been involved in a committee inquiry that had been so biased and geared towards a pre-determined outcome.
"They've made assumptions, they only have a rudimentary understanding of police investigations and they've made some very, very brave statements with not one shred of evidence to back it up, including that there was some collusion between premier and cabinet and the police," he said.
The commissioner questioned the committee's credibility because it tried to push a "conspiracy" about authorities going easy on the investigation.
"Clearly, there is no evidence of that," he said.
Police Minister Liza Harvey said the government did not support the findings and comments made in the committee's report.
"The majority report has no credibility and should be disregarded," she said in her letter.
Ms Harvey said the committee's decision to release two witness statements made to police as part of the report was "unorthodox and inappropriate".
She said the committee's actions had set an unusual and dangerous precedent in that any statement made in the course of a normal police investigation could ultimately be released to the wider public.
Opposition Mark McGowan defended the parliamentary inquiry into the crash and said Mr Buswell needed to explain himself.
Premier Colin Barnett said Ms Quirk should resign as chairman of the committee immediately.
