Wednesday, 21 September 2022

Child protection

Dr BACH (Eastern Metropolitan) (20:42): (2148) My adjournment matter tonight is for the Minister for Child Protection and Family Services, and the action that I seek is for him to urgently work with leaders in the community sector and young people with lived experience to radically improve the collection and availability of data. In the massive dump of reports today there were several very interesting reports from the Auditor-General. I have spoken already about a report into numerous major infrastructure projects that demonstrate that several simply do not stack up, notably the government’s so-called Suburban Rail Loop, but there were also other reports into child protection failures. Some people may not necessarily be particularly excited about data collection, but when it comes to our most vulnerable children, the collection of data—reliable data—is incredibly important. The Auditor-General said today that is not happening. The Auditor-General said today that that is placing vulnerable children at risk—at risk of harm and at risk of not receiving the health services that they need. The Auditor-General said that around 200 of our most vulnerable children known to child protection do not even have recorded addresses. How can you help these children if you literally do not know where they are?

These are issues of long standing. More than a year and a half ago now there was outstanding reporting by the ABC about a former youth worker who gained access inappropriately to children’s data and then used that data to track down and rape at least one vulnerable young person known to child protection. At that time I asked questions and other members of the opposition through the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee and in other forums asked questions of the child protection minister. At that time it was Minister Donnellan. We have had four child protection ministers in the last 10 months alone. With all due respect to those ministers, what happens is every time there is a reshuffle on the government side the most junior member of the new cabinet gets given child protection as a consolation prize. Well, I am biased, but my view is that child protection is the most important portfolio in government.

We have seen a total lack of focus from this government. It has dropped the ball, and we have seen shocking outcomes for young people: record numbers of children known to child protection dying, record numbers of Indigenous babies taken from their families—the list goes on and on. It has not always been the case under Labor governments. I was born into the care system under John Cain’s Labor government. You can say what you like about the economic management of those governments, but they cared about vulnerable children and they had a wonderful child protection system. I was a product of it. The governments of Steve Bracks and John Brumby had a real focus on child protection, as did the Baillieu and Napthine governments, with a big beast in cabinet, Mary Wooldridge, holding that portfolio for a full four years. It is actually shameful that we have had four ministers in the last 10 months. It shows a total disregard for our vulnerable children and for this immensely important portfolio. The minister needs to finally step up and fix this egregious problem.