Page 799 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 21 March 2018
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The humility, the nobility and the strength of this family are on display with this passage from the Canberra Times today:
No other mother should have to go through what we went through, no other little girl should have to sit in a courtroom, be cross-examined.
My daughter did it all because she doesn’t want this happen to any other kid … and now I want to show her one person can make a difference.
By the passing of this motion today, one person is making a difference. This family is making an extraordinary difference. And if momentum is created as a result of putting it on the agenda today, if more packs are proactively sent out, if we can bolster the information in these packs and if the government can work with additional organisations to make sure we are calling upon all of the resources possible to make the packs in the ACT best practice, then there are going to be dozens, or hundreds or thousands, of families that are going to be better off as a result of the bravery shown by this family.
There are many families that would not have the strength to do this. There are many families that do not even have the strength to report it to the police, let alone go through all those subsequent steps. But this family did. And then they have gone a step further. I remember that on the few occasions that I have chatted with this family, the mother has said, “In years to come, when my daughter understands the gravity of the situation, we will be able to say that some good came of it.” It is a pretty powerful statement, and it is a pretty selfless statement for that mother to make.
There are lots of lessons that can be learnt from this particular case and from all cases. There are also some important lessons for the ACT police with regard to this matter. Whilst it did not happen in the ACT, there were interviews that took place here, and we are keen to make sure that information that was passed on from the WA justice system has been incorporated in ACT Policing’s techniques. We have to make sure that that initial step of reporting is as easy as possible and that the interview process for a young person is as conducive as possible to getting the results that are required. No child should have to go through that interview process numerous times and have to present in court numerous times as a result of this hardship.
There are so many victims, so many people, who in effect have a life sentence as a result of these crimes. Often it seems that the only person that does not get a life sentence is the perpetrator. The victim, the child, has a life sentence; the immediate family has a life sentence; the wider community carries the burden. And, so often, the perpetrator does not. There is an apparent injustice there.
In closing, I want to thank members of the Assembly for their support and thank this family for the enormous contribution they are making to future families through their bravery. I move:
Add new (3)(c):
“(c) work with nationally recognised and accredited organisations, such as Bravehearts and Child Wise, to make sure that such information packets contain correct and appropriate information and reflect best practice.”.
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