Jay Weatherill defends education boss Tony Harrison after Opposition attack State education department chief executive Tony Harrison. PREMIER Jay Weatherill has leapt to the defence of education chief Tony Harrison after the Opposition questioned the former policeman's independence and qualifications for the job. Opposition education spokesman David Pisoni today continued to call for an independent investigation into why there was no mandatory report of an alleged incident of sexual assault at a southern suburbs school in 2010 . I think Tony Harrison is too close to the action and too close to the Minister (Jennifer Rankine). This needs an independent investigation," Mr Pisoni said. He also hinted that, if the State Liberals won the March election, Mr Harrison could be replaced. We're not making any commitments in the lead up to the election. We will evaluate the situation if we are successful," he said. There's absolutely no doubt there are concerns he's not an educator. That's feedback I've had from teachers on the ground. He was not chosen from a proper field with a thorough process. Mr Pisoni also called for Ms Rankine to return from leave because "the department is in crisis." Mr Weatherill said Mr Pisoni's comment was an "extraordinary proposition" and an "unwarranted slur." "Tony Harrison is an incredibly well-regarded public servant for our state," he said. Mr Harrison is a first-class executive. He has worked at the highest levels of the police department. We need somebody, I think, at this time, more than ever before, to run the Education Department in a methodical and forceful fashion. I think he is an excellent choice. Mr Weatherill also insisted he would not take "extraordinary" step of dissolving State Parliament early - a move that could shut down an Upper House inquiry into school sex abuse . The inquiry held its first hearing on Friday. State Parliament's final sitting day for the year is scheduled on November 28. It is traditionally formally dissolved before an election. If Parliament is dissolved in November, it is possible the committee investigating the fallout from the western suburbs sex-abuse case could be shut down and have its powers removed. Mr Weatherill today said he hadn't yet considered when Parliament would be dissolved. We will be making the usual arrangements. We will not be making any extraordinary arrangements about the proroguing of Parliament," he said. He indicated it may be possible for an Upper House committee to continue sitting even if the business of the Lower House is shut down. Mr Weatherill has said the Upper House inquiry would be exposed as a "transparent" political exercise if it continued sitting right up until election eve.