Page 2477 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 29 June 2005
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MR SESELJA: Mr Stanhope says that after seven years he might start taking responsibility. We look forward to that. We look forward to him starting to take responsibility at some stage during his time in office. It is time we saw some progress from the Minister for Children, Youth and Family Support. This motion is not about who built what and when; it is about achieving outcomes for young people in the current Quamby facility
Among the budget press releases from May of this year, the minister was keen to announce her commitment to the children and young people of the ACT. She went so far as to announce that they were a budget priority. She was keen to show just how much money she and her colleagues have devoted to the areas of children and youth, especially in relation to the Vardon and Murray reports. Expenditure around issues such as child protection is welcome. However, it appears as though the minister’s failure to follow up on the report of the Standing Committee on Community Services and Social Equity is a demonstration of the minister’s priorities when it comes to the young people in Quamby.
Mr Speaker, I want to give a bit of a chronology so as to set the scene for some of the basis for this motion. In August 2004, the committee that I have referred to made recommendations, including one about establishing a working group. In February 2005, the government finally got round to tabling a statement saying that it agreed with some of the recommendations, including the recommendation to establish the working group. On 31 May 2005, in the estimates process, neither Ms Gallagher nor officials present knew whether the working group had been established. No-one knew. The question was asked and they said, “I guess so, but we’re just not sure.” The minister said that it must have been, but none of the officials knew, which was quite odd. So, on 31 May 2005, no-one knew whether it had been established.
A question was taken on notice on 31 May as to whether the working group had been established. On 7 June, Ms Gallagher responded that the group had been formed and that the first meeting had been on 6 June, the day before. On 23 June, Ms Gallagher informed the Assembly that the group was formed on 1 June this year, one day after the question was asked in estimates, and members of the group were informed of their role on the same day.
The question was asked in estimates some nine months after the recommendation was made, on 31 May, and no-one in the department, nor the minister, knew whether it had been established. We can only assume that they were telling the truth there. I find it hard to believe that no-one knew, but I will give them the benefit of the doubt. They ran away and the next day they frantically formed this working group to comply with the recommendation that was made in August 2004, which seems a little bit odd to me.
Ms Gallagher: What are you implying?
MR SESELJA: I am implying a number of things.
Ms Gallagher: What are you suggesting?
MR SPEAKER: Order!
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