weekly hansard - Queensland Parliament - Queensland Government

2634 Child Safety Legislation Amendment Bill 23 Aug 2005
renotifications. He is not able to reduce the number of children re-experiencing harm. How much time
does the minister and the department need before we can see further results? Every day my office and
all other members’ offices receive calls from people with family and child safety based concerns.
In amongst these concerns I am hearing more and more cases of child abuse and, more horrendously,
many allegations of sexual molestation of children. I have no doubt that the minister’s office gets many
more calls than I do, and I have absolutely no doubt that the minister and his staff share my concern—
our concern—our horror and dismay at these allegations. Staff in the department are working with these
situations every day and they have my total admiration.
This is the Department of Child Safety. That is the crux of what the department is about. But my
real anger—and I say ‘anger’—is that there are far too many cases of substantiated allegations of
sexual harm to children, allegations that are passed through to the agencies of the law, and that seems
to be the last that is heard of them. Parents and children are desperate to get some closure, but
perpetrators are still out there in droves and nothing seems to be happening. It is being swept under the
carpet. I cannot blame the child safety department for this, because I am aware in many cases that it is
out of its hands—it is virtually out of its hands—and I have no doubt that the minister and his staff must
be just as frustrated as we are. I am sure that they share the same feelings I have. I also have no doubt
that there are many police officers who are absolutely shocked at some of the stories that are brought to
them, but the current legislation and lack of ready evidence in so many cases is such that they cannot
move. This is an all-of-community problem. Until the whole community confronts these problems, as
well as government departments and agencies, children’s safety cannot be guaranteed. In the words of
Desmond Tutu, it takes a whole village to raise a child. This will take community support and much
stronger legislation to finally acknowledge and defeat these horrendous practices from subhuman
people.
The child safety department cannot be allowed an extended time frame for the implementation of
reforms. Because we are talking about the safety of our children, we do not have time. We do not have
the time to wait for the minister to get around to implementing the integrated client management system.
We have seen very little progress on this in the last 12 months. I am told by people within the
department how much this is needed and how good it will be but that it is a huge process and seemingly
a long, slow one. While we wait, children are suffering. Families are suffering. We do not have time to
wait for the minister to realise that he needs to employ more people on the front line, not more managers
and administrators—office staff who are paid far more highly than the vitally important frontline
caseworkers. We do not have the time to wait. This is not a theoretical exercise in logistics management
that can be modelled with a scoping study or explained by interdepartmental reports. This is real life,
and real children are suffering now.
I am sure that I speak for every member of this chamber when I say that even one case of child
abuse is one too many. We all realise the devastating effects this abuse has on the lives of the children
and their families and the complexities involved. Again, I am sure that I speak for everyone when I say
that implementing the CMC reforms of the Department of Child Safety is of the highest priority. We gave,
and continue to give, unqualified bipartisan support in seeing those reforms implemented. But the
government is using our bipartisan support as a shield for itself. Our bipartisan support has become a
cover for its ineptitude in implementing the recommendations of the CMC report. What we do not give
unqualified support to is the continuing inability of the minister to administer his department.
In summary, the opposition welcomes this third stage of the legislation and, subject to
the amendment I propose, will be supporting this legislation. I have voiced my concerns at the progress
of reform to date and my doubts regarding the department’s ability to meet the enormous challenges
ahead. These are challenges that must be met, and I look forward to the minister’s response to the
issues I have raised. I commend the bill to the House.
Mr JOHNSON (Gregory—NPA) (8.49 pm): It is very gratifying to hear the words that have just
been delivered in this House by the member for Burdekin, the shadow minister for child safety—a
woman who has certainly undertaken a great deal of study on this matter and who has come up with I
believe one of the better speeches in relation to child safety in Queensland. I congratulate her on that.
At the outset, can I say that there is nothing more sacred than a child. Regardless of whose child it is,
that child’s safety is not negotiable. When I say a child’s safety is not negotiable, I mean the safety of
every child—not only in Queensland but also in our country.
I am a member of the Palm Island Select Committee and I have seen some of the things that
have happened on Palm Island and in other parts of the state. That has made me even more passionate
about looking after the children of our state. I will give members an example. A few weeks ago I was in
Townsville. I had occasion to go into the car park of a shopping centre. I pulled up there. I had the
windows of my car up and I was speaking on my mobile phone. A van pulled up beside my car and in it
were a couple with three kids. Out of the back of the van came the three little ones, ranging in age from
about eight down to about four. The mother got out, as did the father, and he walked off somewhere.
They were great little kids. They were beautiful little kids. The mother started brushing one child’s hair.
She looked at the child and said something to the child. The next minute she gave that child an almighty
slap across the face. She nearly knocked that child’s head off. I thought, ‘God, what am I in for here?’ I