Page 3251 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 16 August 2011
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Now, to me what that says is that the Human Rights Commission overall was satisfied with the scrutiny of a number of allegations. I will assume those are yours. It also made recommendations around improvements to policies and procedures. I accept that. I accept that we can continually improve our policies and procedures.
MR SPEAKER: Mr Hanson, a supplementary.
MR HANSON: Minister, for how long have you been aware of the extent of these critical failures of process at Bimberi?
MS BURCH: As I have said repeatedly here, any organisation, Bimberi included, is an ongoing quality and improvement process. There are a number of comments in here that we will take on board and we will improve our practice. There are also a number of comments here that have already been addressed. They are the processes and systems that we have already implemented. I look forward to working with this review and providing a response in detail to each of the 200—I think there are 220—recommendations.
This is a deep and comprehensive report. Any commentary from those over there that this is not good enough—there was some commentary by Mr Seselja that perhaps it has not been exhaustive enough and that there is some level of cover-up by the government in not providing documentation. This is a comprehensive report over—
Members interjecting—
MR SPEAKER: Order! You are right to continue, minister.
MS BURCH: Over 147 people have been interviewed. These include young people, staff at AMC, current and former staff, executive and senior management. Sixty-two recommendations—roundtables, inspection of records. This is the most comprehensive review that has been undertaken under youth justice. It is something that I welcome because the positive aspect of this is that we can continue to improve our processes and do good by our young people.
MR SPEAKER: Mrs Dunne, a supplementary.
MRS DUNNE: Minister, how can the Canberra community have faith in your management of Bimberi after such a damning report and the obvious evidence before us today that you got as far as page 3?
MS BURCH: This is a comprehensive report. We will respond. I believe that the changes that I have been implementing since the end of last year—the change management process, the diversional framework that I am implementing, the single case management and the after-hours bail service that are already being planned and in place, the single case management is operational from this week—show that this government, this department, is on the case and is on a continual improvement. We can put the best systems in place now or come back in two years time and need to improve them. Any system does that.
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