MPs want Telstra to trace an email forwarded by Premier Jay Weatherill's chief of staff about school sex abuse case PREMIER Jay Weatherill is under pressure to order Telstra to investigate who received an email about the sexual abuse of a school student, which was forwarded by a senior government staffer. Telstra representatives told a parliamentary inquiry this morning that it could search its database to solve the mystery of the missing recipient - a key issue in the Debelle Royal Commission into child sexual abuse. The parliamentary committee also heard the email about the arrest of a school carer on sexual assault charges was received and forwarded by Mr Weatherill's chief-of-staff, Simon Blewett, minutes before he met with the then education minister. However, the issue was never raised at the meeting. Family First MP and committee chairman Robert Brokenshire said today's evidence highlighted the "dysfunctional" nature of the Education Department at the time of the incident in 2010. "The majority of the committee have agreed today it will be writing to the Premier requesting the Premier approve Telstra scanning through the emails - as they indicated they can do reasonably simply - (and find) where the missing email really went," Mr Brokenshire said. The Government has labelled the Upper House inquiry a "big, expensive, fishing expedition" and "political stunt." The Debelle Royal Commission report found Premier Jay Weatherill was not informed about the sex abuse case referred to in the missing email. The Debelle Royal Commission report identified numerous failings in the Education Department when it came to dealing with cases of sex abuse. Two weeks ago, Mr Blewett told the parliamentary inquiry he should have immediately informed Mr Weatherill about the email. "I don't believe that I would have regarded it as so urgent as to get to him immediately," Mr Blewett told the committee. I thought the most likely person to whom I might have forwarded it was the ... media adviser. He said it was also a rare practice to forward on emails directly to Mr Weatherill. Simon Blewett, who was chief of staff for then education minister Jay Weatherill when he forwarded the missing email to an unknown recipient, appeared before the parliamentary inquiry last month. Picture: Greg Higgs Justice Debelle said I should have informed the Minister ... I accept I should have informed the then Minister on the substance of the email," Mr Blewett said.