Channel 7 - Today Tonight (Adelaide)
Edith Pringle and Ralph Clarke - 9 July 2003

This version of the transcript has been edited by Dr Robert N Moles

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In order of appearance

John Riddell - presenter
Graham Archer - interviewer and producer

Program

John Riddell

........... secret and when we tried to find out more, we were barred from the Premier's media conference, where he claimed no knowledge of these matters. And all of this has a ring of deja vu. That's because four years ago some of the same players were drawn into another court case, and another police inquiry. Tonight we'll re-examine that court case and the personal and political fallout for those involved.

Song over

just little bits of history repeating, just little bits of history repeating...

Doorman at press conference

Mr Crouch would you like to come this way - please sir?

Graham Archer at conference door

Sure thanks, see you later. You're in and I am out?

Doorman

Sorry sir, but ...

Graham Archer at conference

OK perhaps you might ask that question Brad why Today Tonight are not allowed into the press conference.

Graham Archer

If history repeats, so does the stuff we're expected to swallow in the name of due process in this state.

Edith Pringle

The problem is, my confidence in the system to be able to deal with it properly, effectively and apply due process has been shattered.

Graham Archer

And no one would have more bells ringing at this moment than Edith Pringle.

Edith Pringle

Absolutely, it's almost a sense of deja vu.

Graham Archer

Edith has an extraordinary story to tell, starting with the night her former partner Ralph Clarke - Mike Rann's former Deputy, was charged with domestic violence.
You and Ralph Clarke, then the Deputy Leader of the Opposition had a fairly volatile relationship, would you say that's correct?

Edith Pringle

I would say that certainly in the beginning of the relationship, there was that volatility.

Graham Archer

Despite some turmoil Pringle and Clarke had been a de facto couple for a number of years. But on the night of May 13 things came unstuck.

Edith Pringle

There were two separate incidents on that particular day. One where he had left the office, come back to our home and had assaulted me then pushed me in the bath and attacked me, then he left.

Voice over Ralph Clarke from record of interview

We were still arguing and I just said Oh, went like that with a hand, with my open hand on my open hands, I just pushed her like that, but she was standing back at the bath, her legs were against the bath, and then she tripped and she went into the bath.

Graham Archer

Clarke's police record of interview went on to document his version of the altercation that morning.

Voice over constable Rieger from record of interview

She's saying that, which you've just agreed, that she fell in, into the bath, as she was trying to get out you've it her several times.

Voice over Ralph Clarke from record of interview

No

Voice over constable Rieger from record of interview

With an open hand?

Voice over Ralph Clarke from record of interview

No

Voice over constable Rieger from record of interview

To the right of her head?

Voice over Ralph Clarke from record of interview

No. I used very strong language to her, but I didn't touch her.

Voice over constable Rieger from record of interview

Did you call her a slut, harlot, bitch

Voice over Ralph Clarke from record of interview

Yes, I did.

Voice over constable Rieger from record of interview

And she went into the bath?

Graham Archer

Clarke's police record of interview went on to document his version of the altercation that morning.

Voice over constable Rieger from record of interview

She's saying that, which you've just agreed, that she fell in, into the bath, as she was trying to get out, you've hit her several times?

Voice over Ralph Clarke from record of interview

No

Voice over constable Rieger from record of interview

With an open hand?

Voice over Ralph Clarke from record of interview

No

Voice over constable Rieger from record of interview

To the right side of her head?

Voice over Ralph Clarke from record of interview

No, I used very strong language to her, but I didn't touch her.

Voice over constable Rieger from record of interview

Did you call her a slut, harlot, bitch?

Voice over Ralph Clarke from record of interview

Yes I did.

Edith Pringle

He came back again that evening and there was a second incident and it was during the second incident that the police were called.

Graham Archer

Clarke's candid admissions to police of manhandling and striking his partner ended with three charges of assault. But according to him, you were throwing things at him, so clearly he was wanting to restrain you?

Edith Pringle

That was an allegation, right? That's an allegation that was unproven and unsubstantiated within the courts.

Graham Archer

According to Clarke, he was just defending himself.

Voice over Ralph Clarke from record of interview

And I did it to try and stop her from breaking anything else, more particularly, breaking me.

Graham Archer

What was the size difference between you and Ralph Clarke?

Edith Pringle

Well, with high heels on, I came up to his shoulders. Ralph was a large man, I mean he was big, I was a size 8.

Voice over constable Rieger from record of interview

How did you grab her?

Voice over Ralph Clarke from record of interview

I grabbed her by the hair initially, because she kept, she punched me, so I grabbed her by the hair, just to try to try and calm her down.

Voice over constable Rieger from record of interview

Both sides of the head?

Voice over Ralph Clarke from record of interview

Yeah, I think yeah, that'd be right.

Voice over constable Rieger from record of interview

She stated here that in the lounge room area, more so, you grabbed her by the hair, both sides of the hair, and pulled her down towards the ground, but she's gone onto her knees. She's then tried to get back up onto her feet and you've hit her twice with a clenched fist to the head.

Voice over Ralph Clarke from record of interview

No, never, no, no, absolutely not.

Graham Archer

None of what you've heard, or what follows, ever found it's way to court.

Voice over constable Rieger from record of interview

She's alleging that you pushed her on the front part of her body, onto the bed?

Voice over Ralph Clarke from record of interview

Well, I was holding her so, you know, maybe she bruises, I know my mum bruises very easily if, if you apply pressure, you know, on her.

Graham Archer

But there was more.

Voice over Ralph Clarke from record of interview

I certainly never went near her, with a clenched fist.

Edith Pringle

All of that was substantiated by the evidence that was there, by hospital records, by medical evidence that was there, and by his own word, by his own admission.

Voice over constable Rieger from record of interview

Do you think you might have caused those injuries?

Voice over Ralph Clarke from record of interview

No, I mean, as I say, I mean, I am not denying that I slapped her on the backside, and if there was some rash there, or a bruise there, well, that's probably from me.

Voice over constable Rieger from record of interview

Did she give you permission to assault her today?

Voice over Ralph Clarke from record of interview

Well, I don't regard it as an assault in the sense.

Graham Archer

This Mike Rann's former Deputy in a Party boasting zero tolerance to domestic violence. Bad enough. But it's what's alleged to have happened the next day, raised both in Parliament and in court, which put the Premier squarely in the picture.
In the course of that evidence, you made some extraordinary allegations about the now Premier Mike Rann and his contact with you, can you tell us what that contact was?

Edith Pringle

Certainly I'd felt that in a phone conversation that I'd had with Rann, Mike Rann, on the next morning that the charges were kind of expected to be withdrawn within the hour.

Graham Archer

During Edith's cross-examination by QC Lindy Powell, the following evidence emerged.

Voice over Lindy Powell from transcript

What do you say that Rann said to you during that telephone conversation?

Edith Pringle from transcript

During the telephone conversation he said that to withdraw the charges within an hour. This will all be something to the effect that it would be tidied up. That might not have been his exact words. He said that he would write it off in the media as a lover's tiff.

Voice over Lindy Powell from transcript

He said, did he not, I am not going to, I cannot and will not ask you to drop charges because that is not my role, that's up to you to do, that's a decision for you to make.

Edith Pringle from transcript

No, Mike Rann did not say that.

Voice over Lindy Powell from transcript

Pardon?

Edith Pringle from transcript

Mike Rann did not say that to me.

Voice over Lindy Powell from transcript

He did not say that?

Edith Pringle from transcript

No.

Voice over Lindy Powell from transcript

He's lying if the said that is he?

Edith Pringle from transcript

Yes.

Graham Archer

By now, Powell seemed to be defending Rann's reputation as well as Clarke's.

Voice over Lindy Powell from transcript

He made it quite plain to you that whether you withdrew the charges was entirely up to you?

Edith Pringle

No. He said to withdraw the charges within the hour because he had to deal with the press before the story went out.

Voice over Lindy Powell from transcript

And you say, do you not, that after you spoke with Rann you said the next phone call you had was from Michael Atkinson?

Edith Pringle

Yes.

Voice over Lindy Powell from transcript

At that stage Mr Atkinson was the Shadow Attorney General?

Edith Pringle

Yes.

Graham Archer

The same Michael Atkinson who last week resigned as the anti-corruption branch investigates an alleged deal with yes, Ralph Clarke to terminate another court case, involving both men.

Rob Kerin in Parliament

Was the Attorney General the subject of an inquiry by the Dept of Premier and Cabinet or the Premier's office late last year?

Graham Archer

But first things first. Here's what the court heard in '99 about the Attorney General's role in the withdrawal of those assault charges against Clarke. His phone call to Edith came hard on the heels of Rann's.

Edith Pringle

He had asked about the withdrawal and how that was going. Mike Rann wanted it withdrawn within the hour and Michael had said that by sunset it would be fine, and I said to him that I didn't have transport to get to the police station to make the deadline, and he said that he would provide the transport.

Voice over Lindy Powell from transcript

That lady you have called Sally came and drove you?

Edith Pringle

Yes.

Graham Archer

Let's just reflect for a minute and none of these facts are challenged. That is the then Shadow Attorney General who later became the Attorney General, Michael Atkinson, organised one of his staff to drive you to a police station so that you could withdraw charges against the deputy leader of his party?

Edith Pringle

Well, I think the whole thing should be open to an independent inquiry. I think that the current issue that we're facing now, tied in with what happened back then, should be looked at by an independent judicial inquiry of some sort and that all of that should be made public.

Graham Archer

Edith fairly says she was very confused. She and Ralph had been together for a number of years, shared a house, both Labour loyalists. Edith was even put to the media as Clarke's inspiration and support. Charges were clearly set to destroy everything they both shared. Compelling personal reasons to withdraw.
So in a sense you weren't just protecting Ralph Clarke, you were protecting all that he stood for, by keeping this to yourself?

Edith Pringle

Yes, protecting the party, protecting Ralph, protecting myself.

Graham Archer

But the matter was now in the hands of police and to Edith's credit, after a meeting with Paul Rofe and despite her mixed emotions, she agreed to testify.

Edith Pringle

After that meeting, it was then decided that the case would go to the criminal court.

John Riddell

Coming up, the sudden halt to the trial which has never been properly explained, which left Edith Pringle and her reputation in tatters. And just four years later, the same players are again involved in another scandal surrounding another court case which has led to a further police investigation, this time into the Attorney General Michael Atkinson.

Edith Pringle

To me it was simple. I had said that I had been assaulted. He and his own police testimony agreed that he had assaulted me.

Graham Archer

But what occurred in court is yet one more reason to query our criminal justice system. After Edith had given evidence the Director of Public Prosecutions Paul Rofe, made a sudden and startling announcement to the court.

Voice over Paul Rofe from transcript

I have sufficient concerns with some aspects of Ms Pringle's evidence and cannot therefore ask the jury to return a verdict of guilty based on the evidence. Accordingly I enter a nolle prosequi.

Graham Archer

No public explanation was offered by the DPP at the time.

Paul Rofe

For me now to say publicly precisely why ... I am sorry. I think Ms Pringle has been through quite enough.

Graham Archer

Not much consolation for someone who's been recast from victim to villain in the blink of an eye.

Edith Pringle

I was shocked. I said to him, I said how can you do this to me, I was, I was in tears.

Graham Archer

What the DPP suddenly saw as extreme enough to terminate the trial was baffling. Perhaps it was Clarke's instructions that Edith asked for cash to kill off the charges. Edith claims that was nonsense. But things were further muddied by contact between Clarke and Pringle prior to the trial.

Edith Pringle

On a number of occasions there was contact, and when that contact occurred I immediately reported it to the police, to Paul Rofe.

Graham Archer

The legal onus was in fact on Clarke to keep his distance as bail conditions in domestic violence cases demand.

Edith Pringle

I didn't have bail conditions, right? With Ralph consistently breaking his bail conditions.

Graham Archer

On at least one of those occasions Clarke stayed the night, and Edith says he begged her to keep the contact a secret.

Edith Pringle

I didn't see the harm in making what was to me a promise between two people, a harmless promise.

Graham Archer

That you wouldn't tell Paul Rofe that he'd turned up that night?

Edith Pringle

Yes.

Graham Archer

And was this the only occasion that you let him in?

Edith Pringle

No, no, there were other occasions of contact, all of which were documented.

Graham Archer

Right.

Edith Pringle

And reported to the police.

Graham Archer

Right. If such a pledge was made, it worked against Edith as her failure to report was used to question her credibility, while Clarke's conduct in breaking his bail conditions and approaching a witness was never questioned.

Edith Pringle

Take any excuse, provocation, vindictiveness, you name it, take all those elements away from the thing. Even the breach of bail conditions, which I will remind you was Ralph breaching his bail conditions; take all of those elements away and what you are left with was, there was an assault, and none of that evidence was brought into the courtroom. And the reasons for entering the nolle prosequi didn't mean for one moment that that case could not have been prosecuted to the end.

Graham Archer

The outcome was not an acquittal despite the comfort Clarke takes when quoting Judge Burnett

Voice over Judge Burnett from transcript

It is entirely your decision Mr Rofe but if I might say so, I think it is very well based.

Graham Archer

Because the charges could be reactivated it's most unusual for4 a judge to comment. But Clarke's admissions of getting physical, were never tested, and the whole case raised concerns amongst workers in the field of domestic violence. One very reasonable letter to Mike Rann requesting some clear leadership on the matter, received this breath taking one line response.

Voice over Mike Rann from letter

I regard your letter as grossly offensive; I have referred it to my solicitors, Yours sincerely, Mike Rann.

Graham Archer

While the trashing of Edith Pringle was raised to a new level by the Premier who strode into Parliament and let fly.

Mike Rann in Parliament

Allegations made by Ms Edith Pringle, but today it has become clear that things Ms Pringle have said in court and outside court are grotesque lies.

Graham Archer

The lack of a voice was magnified by the Premier's use of privilege to accuse Pringle of perjury while Rann himself was being investigated by police over alleged interference in the case. The outcome "insufficient evidence" to charge the Premier. So the words "no evidence" weren't used in respect to Mike Rann?

Edith Pringle

They were not used in respect of Mike Rann.

Graham Archer

Which brings us to the current circus, with all the same players, and more allegations of meddling in a court case, this time involving Atkinson and Clarke.

Rob Lucas in Parliament

Grave allegations of corruption and bribery involving a senior political adviser to the Premier.

Graham Archer

Equally concerning is the secret and inadequate inquiry arranged by the Premier's Chief of Staff Warren McCann. McCann chose Ron Beasley retired Victorian Solicitor to run the rule over their action. He found no cause for concern, but amazingly, neglected to interview Ralph Clarke.

Edith Pringle

I mean, it is a question that does burn and you walk away from something like this with a burning sense of injustice.

Graham Archer

As for open and transparent government, well, that's all media spin as well. Selected media that is.

Graham Archer at the door of the press conference

But I am from Channel 7 Today Tonight.

Security Guard

I realise that sir.

Graham Archer at the door of the press conference

I am a journalist, it's a press conference.

Security Guard

I realise that and I have the names.

Graham Archer

Today Tonight was actually locked out of the Premier's return home press conference "no one else" just us. Funny that. And given South Australia's status as the national champs for the most dumped prosecutions, the joke doing the rounds of parliament, now there's a police inquiry, is that Rofe has already dropped the charges. It's truly a sad state of affairs.

Edith Pringle

We do have to look at all those other cases, you know, Keogh and Scott Aitken and it just raises more questions than we get answers.

Graham Archer

Sure.

John Riddell

After the media conference the Premier's Press Secretary made contact about an interview and we are currently negotiating a response from the Premier on this and a number of other issues. Ralph Clarke declined to comment.

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