Page 4642 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 19 October 2011
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I would say that we have a view from the Public Advocate that there has been a breach of the Children and Young People Act. We have also been provided with additional information from the Government Solicitor which the government is now considering. The minister will make a further statement around that when all the information is provided.
I would not say necessarily that the jury is in on this. I think there is more to understand. But the community can be confident that their minister in charge of care and protection is doing what ministers are required to do. She is asking her department the right questions and she is getting information and responding when that information becomes available.
MR SPEAKER: A supplementary, Mr Seselja.
MR SESELJA: Minister, how can the community have any confidence in your government when every time something goes wrong it is no-one’s fault?
MS GALLAGHER: That is simply not true. It is simply not true. I know the opposition would love everything to be black and white, heads roll and an individual needs to be responsible for everything, but in human systems, where they require teams to work together and make decisions—and included in that team is the minister at the top, the director-general and then a whole range of people—it is not always clear to be able to say, “That individual was responsible, and they must pay the price.”
We have taken responsibility. We have always taken responsibility for care and protection. We are the ones that have reformed it. We are the ones that work continuously to improve it. We are the government that has done all that. We will continue to do that. We are the ones that provide the information and, in this case, the review that has led to further discussion in this Assembly. This is the work that is being done. Nobody is not accepting responsibility. This is a community responsibility.
Mr Smyth interjecting—
MR SPEAKER: Mr Smyth, you will have a chance in a moment.
MS GALLAGHER: It is not any individual’s responsibility. Child protection is a community responsibility. It requires a community response. As much as the opposition would like to make it about one individual and see their head on the chopping block, that is not the reality of the world in which care and protection systems operate. You are simplistic and you are disrespectful.
Mr Smyth interjecting—
Mr Hargreaves: On a point of order, Mr Speaker, Mr Smyth interjects across the chamber that the Chief Minister is a joke. That is an imputation on the Chief Minister. I would like you to ask him to withdraw.
Mr Smyth interjecting—
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