Page 4654 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 19 October 2011
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If the community is to have any confidence that this will not be repeated, they have to know that the buck stops somewhere.
Chief Minister, in relation to the problems identified in the Public Advocate’s interim report on care and protection, where does the buck stop?
MS GALLAGHER: The government takes responsibility for addressing all of the ongoing continuous improvement required in care and protection.
MR SPEAKER: Mr Smyth, a supplementary.
MR SMYTH: Chief Minister, as you cannot clearly name who will take responsibility, are not Ms Tucker’s comments true and there can be no confidence that these problems will not be repeated?
MS GALLAGHER: I have clearly said the government takes responsibility. I have said that a number of times. So I do not know what you do not accept about that. Responsibility does not necessarily mean chopping off someone’s head or seeking some other punishment or pointing the finger at one individual. You can take responsibility, and the responsibility is to reform and continuously improve a system that will never be faultless. It will never be faultless. It is a human system involving the most traumatised and vulnerable families in our community, often at times with intervention that many people and individuals do not accept as being a realistic response.
Let us put it in context. Let us accept that. The government accepts the responsibility of the need to continuously improve the system and support the workers who are providing those emergency decisions, support the carers who are providing the care to the children and young people in the territory. But I think we also need to accept, as a parliament, that it is the job of all of us to ensure that the care and protection system in the ACT works to the highest possible standard.
Mr Smyth: So nobody is responsible.
MS GALLAGHER: That is not what I said.
MR HARGREAVES: A supplementary.
MR SPEAKER: Mr Hargreaves.
MR HARGREAVES: In terms of the care and protection services, and given that there are more than 550—
Mrs Dunne: Preamble.
MR SPEAKER: Yes, Mr Hargreaves.
MR HARGREAVES: I understand that, Mr Speaker; I am trying to phrase it to keep Mrs Dunne happy, because that is my life’s work. Given that there are over
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