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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 2 Hansard (27 February) . . Page.. 556 ..

MR SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order. The Chief Minister has answered the question about the report to the best of her ability. She has not seen it yet. She is now answering the second part of the question, which concerns something about moving machines out.

MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, I have already made the point that ADC-AOFR are doing everything in their power, I believe, to achieve the targets that were set in the agreement with them. I understand, as I said, that they are launching a new product which they believe will have significant export potential. I think it is very sad that AOFR have not been able to reach the sales targets that they set; but it is great to see a company, instead of whingeing, as those opposite do, get out and launch new products. They have built a new factory in the ACT with significant capital investment in the ACT. Here we have a company that has technology that was produced here, invented here. They are a company looking at expanding here in the ACT. They are launching new products, doing exactly what the Auditor-General said had to happen. All those opposite can do is whinge.

MS TUCKER: My question is for Mr Stefaniak. Minister, my question is in relation to children at risk. The Minister stated yesterday that he thought I might have a thing about Marlow Cottage. I actually have a thing about young people at risk in our community. The Minister would be aware that, according to the guidelines for the use of SAAP services for young people under the age of 16 years, a child that has been assessed by Family Services as in need of accommodation and placed in a refuge should leave that refuge within 48 hours of the assessment being made. The guidelines acknowledge that undefined periods in SAAP services would be inappropriate for children under 16 years. The Minister may also be aware that, according to the latest annual report of the Lowanna Young Women's Service - a 24-hour refuge for young women - 34 young women under the age of 16 spent a total of 859 bed nights at Lowanna. That is an average of over 25 nights each - well over the recommended 48-hour maximum. I have given the Minister notice of this question asking for particular details which I am informed he is not able to give us at this point. I look forward to receiving those details, but I would still ask the Minister to respond now to the general question of why it is that refuges such as Lowanna are being put in the untenable position of having to accommodate young people under 16 in extreme crisis for extended periods of time when they are not supposed to do this under their funding agreement.

MR STEFANIAK: I think Ms Tucker has to realise a few points. Ms Tucker, you need to talk to people who have been involved in this area for a long time, here and in other parts of the country. The ACT is very lucky to have the facilities we do have for young people at risk and people generally at risk in our community who need assistance and somewhere to stay. We are considerably better off than most other States and Territories. Ms Tucker, regrettably, there are occasions when the optimum cannot occur. Even in a good system like ours there are only so many beds available.

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