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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 08 Hansard (Tuesday, 3 August 2004) . . Page.. 3334 ..

The government is acting to improve services to children and young people, their families and carers. We accept this responsibility and that it will take some time. The 66 recommendations of the audit report will be added to the 47 recommendations in the implementation strategy for the Vardon report that the Minister for Children, Youth, and Family Support will table.

This government recognises that the reform process requires a partnership approach across the care and protection sector; we are working closely with key stakeholders; we will continue to work together to ensure that the reforms in the audit report are implemented. In some instances, of course, the necessary reforms will take some time.

Further analysis is required to develop programs and services for our community. Recruitment campaigns are under way. Attracting qualified people to the ACT, it has to be said is the challenge in a highly competitive market, following major recruitment programs and drives currently being instituted particularly by both New South Wales and Queensland.

My tabling this report today, Mr Speaker, reinforces the commitment of this government to accountability and transparency. The community is being informed about issues concerning the care and protection of children and young people. The support and involvement of the community are crucial in helping the government put in place reforms that would put children and young people in need first.

Once again I thank both the commissioner and Ms Murray and the audit team for bringing forward a confronting report about the vulnerable children and young people in our community. A report of this type clearly shows that our community needs to offer a safer way of caring for individuals most in need.

The need for us to work together as a community to deal with this most distressing and difficult issue confronting our society has to be reinforced. In that regard, I urge all members of this place to work with the government, with the community and with the community sector and community agencies to ensure that we do reform and rebuild the child protection system in the ACT. This is a task confronting us all; it is a task in which we need genuine partnerships; it is a task in relation to which we need genuine cooperation from not just the community sector and not just those whom we employ to seek to protect our children through our agencies. It is, indeed, a task that requires the full support and commitment in a constructive way of every person in this place.

Mrs Burke: Mr Speaker, I respectfully request that the Chief Minister move that the report be noted.

MR SPEAKER: That is really up to the minister.

MR STANHOPE: I am happy to move that the report be noted, Mr Speaker. I move:

That the Assembly takes note of the report on the audit and case review.

Debate (on motion by Mrs Burke) adjourned to the next sitting.

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