An investigation into Adelaide's scandal-plagued Oakden nursing home by South Australia's corruption watchdog won't be completed before the end of the year.
Independent Commissioner Against Corruption, Bruce Lander, has told a parliamentary committee there's been a number of delays in gaining access to documents and his findings may not be available until after the next state election in March.
He said he intends to still conduct a number of interviews and hold nearly 20 formal hearings into the aged care facility where elderly dementia patients were abused.
"I have issued 13 summonses. I have received more than 37,000 documents comprising 300,000 pages," Mr Lander said in his statement to the committee.
"Given the large volume of evidence, I will not be in a position to complete my investigation this year.
"That is unfortunate, but I will not rush the investigation."
Mr Lander is investigating if the treatment of residents at Oakden amounted to maladministration.
He will focus on what information was known by people in authority, from local management to government ministers, to determine if they were aware of the poor conditions and care at the facility.
Deputy Opposition Leader Vickie Chapman said it was concerning the state government had taken so long to produce documents for an investigation which had its schedule approved in May.
"We want some answers, the families deserve some answers and the public need to be assured that the current services that are being provided for people with mental health aged care conditions are in a safe and secure environment," she said.
Ms Chapman said the voters needed answers before the March election.
"This clearly will be an endorsement or an indictment of the government's treatment of aged people in this state and their failure to provide adequate services for them," she said.
All ICAC hearings in SA are held in private although the commissioner, earlier this year, pushed to have some held in public.
A move to allow open hearings was voted down in state parliament's upper house.
Premier Jay Weatherill said private ICAC hearings prevented unsubstantiated comments being made public.
"People will be held publicly to account for any adverse findings that are made about them when the commissioner, if he chooses, publishes his findings," Mr Weatherill said.
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