weekly hansard - Queensland Parliament - Queensland Government

23 Aug 2005 Adjournment 2641
Thirdly, the Indigenous child placement principle will be refined by amending section 83 to
address circumstances in which an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander child cannot be placed in the care
of a person who is an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. In these cases, the chief executive must give
proper consideration to whether the proposed non-Indigenous carer is committed to facilitating contact
between the child and his or her parents and other family members, helping the child to maintain contact
with the child’s community or language group, helping the child to maintain a connection with the
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, and preserving and enhancing the child’s sense of
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander identity.
Lastly, amendments to the requirement to involve Indigenous recognised entities will also help
improve outcomes for children. The bill clarifies and strengthens the chief executive’s obligation to work
in partnership with an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander recognised entity for a child when making a
significant decision about that child. It must be ensured that the recognised entity for the child is
informed and given the opportunity to participate in the process of making significant decisions about
the care and protection of the child. For other decisions about an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
child, the chief executive must consult with the appropriately recognised entity before making the
decision. If it is not possible to comply with these provisions because of an urgency or impracticality, the
chief executive must consult as soon as practicable after making the decision.
The Scrutiny of Legislation Committee noted that the proposed amendments adversely affected
the rights and liberties of carers. However, they are considered reasonable, taking into account the
following: the nature of the department’s work and the overriding need to safeguard the welfare of
vulnerable children; the decision to become a carer rests with the applicant carer; the commitment
carers accept along with the protection of children in their care; the close domestic connection between
vulnerable children and carers and other members of their households; and the Commissioner for
Children and Young People and Child Guardian applies similar suitability screening arrangements for
people seeking or holding a blue card to work with children.
This bill continues to reform the child protection system and provides real benefits for
Queensland’s most vulnerable children and young people. I congratulate the minister and his staff on
their ongoing commitment to implementing the recommendations of the CMC report. I commend the bill
to the House.
Debate, on motion of Mrs Carryn Sullivan, adjourned.
ADJOURNMENT
Hon. RE SCHWARTEN (Rockhampton—ALP) (Leader of the House) (9.34 pm): I move—
That the House do now adjourn.
Toowoomba Mental Health Services
Mr HORAN (Toowoomba South—NPA) (9.35 pm): I want to speak tonight about a matter of great
concern in Toowoomba, that is, the decline of the mental health services in the acute mental health unit
at Toowoomba. We have heard today about the closure of the mental health services at Bundaberg and
the absolute disgrace of the Beattie Labor government’s failure to provide basic health and medical
services in our hospitals.
I will tell members tonight how serious the situation is in Toowoomba. That unit is supposed to
have eight psychiatrists to look after an area from Gatton, right out to Birdsville, right down to Stanthorpe
and up to Kingaroy. It is a most important job to look after the hospital, the community services and the
outreach services for that vast area and the hundreds of thousands of people who live in it. That unit will
be down from eight psychiatrists to four. Two people have already left and another two resignations are
in place. That leaves four psychiatrists, one of whom is part-time, one of whom is full-time and the other
two are deemed specialists because of the area of need.
The situation is so serious that the nurses at that acute unit have sent a detailed letter to the
executive director of the Toowoomba health services district acute and community mental health
service. They have listed the most serious shortcomings that one can imagine. They have listed six
points relating to questionable ethical and legal management decisions. They have listed nine points
relating to concerns, generally and specifically, about medical staff. They have listed seven points
relating to patient rights. They have listed six points relating to administrative and bureaucratic
impediments to quality patient care. They have listed eight points relating to consultants, both deemed
and qualified. They have listed another two points relating to questionable ethical and legal
management decisions and another two points relating to concerns in relation to medical staff.
The poor medical staff is flat strap because of the shortage and their huge workload. They are not
being looked after by this government and this incompetent health minister. I don’t know who the health
minister is this week or who it will be next week. I will tell members what they have done. They have put
a ban on press cuttings at that hospital on the notice boards. The eight consultants are down to four.