Tuesday, 30 April 2024

Child protection

Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (12:27): (497) My question is to the Minister for Children. Minister, you would be aware of the shocking revelations that five young Victorian children died from malnutrition in 17 months, including two children reported to child protection. At least one more child known to child protection has died in similar circumstances since that time. Minister, why has the government failed to prevent child deaths from malnutrition and neglect, especially when those children are known to child protection services?

Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Children, Minister for Disability) (12:28): I thank the member for her question. Malnutrition and the protection of any child in care are obviously very serious issues, and unfortunately, like so many of the issues in my portfolio, those opposite seek to politicise them. But can I –

Georgie CROZIER: On a point of order, President, this is not an opportunity for the minister to attack the opposition when we are asking legitimate questions around her portfolio responsibility. I ask you to ask the minister to –

The PRESIDENT: I call the minister back to the answer.

Lizzie BLANDTHORN: Thank you, President, and thank you, Ms Crozier. I guess the point I am trying to make to those opposite is the death of any young infant is obviously extremely tragic, but to be clear, the cause of death of any young infant or any child is a matter for the coroner and not for those opposite. I want to be very clear that this government takes very seriously the neglect of children and the maltreatment of children, which can include malnutrition, but in relation to the proposition that has been put by those opposite, it should not be politicised. Where there are children who are known to child protection and who have been the subject of a substantiated child protection report, then the child protection services come into effect. What should not be done by those opposite is making decisions or accusations in the absence of the coroner’s findings to the contrary.

Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (12:29): What a pathetic answer, Minister. You are responsible for these vulnerable children. They are under your watch and they are dying under your watch. You should step down.

Minister, the independent report on the review of the increase in deaths of children from malnutrition and neglect recommends urgently strengthening ‘systems to detect, monitor and treat malnutrition’. Minister, will the government implement this recommendation?

Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Children, Minister for Disability) (12:30): Again I call out the opposition for politicising the issue and saying that correlation and causation are indeed the same thing.

Georgie Crozier: On a point of order, President, this is not an opportunity to attack the opposition in relation to questions that we are asking in relation to the ministerial responsibility that she holds. I would ask you to ask the minister to stop attacking the opposition and just answer the question.

The PRESIDENT: Order! There have been many rulings from previous presidents about ministers not using an answer to attack the opposition. Getting back to what I was saying about statements that do not provoke a response, sometimes a question might provoke a response, but I still uphold the point of order and I call the minister back to the question.

Lizzie BLANDTHORN: Again I would just point out that those opposite, while seeking to politicise the issue more broadly, are not –

David Davis: On a point of order, President, the minister is defying your ruling. She immediately went back into attacking the opposition. It is not her job.

The PRESIDENT: I call the minister back to the question.

Lizzie BLANDTHORN: The point I am trying to make is that those opposite are making very broad –

David Davis: On a point of order, President, everything the minister is saying is directed at the opposition; it is not directed at answering the actual question.

The PRESIDENT: Mr Davis, the minister had about 3 seconds, and I do not know if it was –

A member interjected.

The PRESIDENT: I think she was taking a different position. I call the minister.

Lizzie BLANDTHORN: Again, if I can finish my sentence, those opposite are putting broad accusations without actually specifically putting questions. I am going to hazard a guess that perhaps they are referring to the reports that were in the weekend Herald Sun. If they want to go specifically to that case in question, I suggest that those opposite access the publicly available coroner’s report, which says:

… I find that the investigations and interventions by Child Protection were appropriate, and culturally appropriate, in the circumstances, and that Baby B’s tragic outcome could not have been reasonably foreseen.

If it would assist those opposite, I am happy to provide them with the relevant links after question time. It is publicly available information. But as I say, I am hazarding a guess as to what those opposite are inferring.