Page 1850 - Week 05 - Thursday, 16 May 2019
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
children are seven times more likely to have an investigation launched. It showed that Indigenous children are 11 times more likely to be in out of home care or subject to a care and protection order. And these statistics have steadily increased under this government.
It is a fact that outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids have been getting worse under the watch of this government. The gap just keeps widening. The families are not given the opportunity to stay together or reunite in a timely fashion. The ACT continues to be ranked amongst the worst in the nation. The standard response from this government and this minister is just not good enough.
Add to this the fact that Ms Stephen-Smith is the Minister for Children, Youth and Families and the Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs and that this injustice has happened under this government: separating a mother from her five children for more than five years; separating siblings while they were in care; allowing only very limited visits during the long five-year period; breaking the bonds of this family; impacting connection to culture; and having such a significant and lasting impact on the children’s wellbeing.
As Mrs Kikkert’s motion states, it was only after an extensive appeals process that these decisions were overturned, five years after this family was torn apart. The damage that has been done is deep. I cannot for a minute start to imagine how this family and the extended community must feel about this. We are also worried about the broader implications of this case. What message does this send to our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community? What does it say to young people, to parents or to people struggling? Why would they reach out for help? What do these types of cases do for the relationship the Indigenous community has with government?
Madam Assistant Speaker, I can tell you from talking to community members that that damage is long-lasting. When things do go wrong, there should be an answer, an easier way to appeal or to seek review. Not everyone can mount a case to the Supreme Court. There must be more accountability when what we are talking about is decisions that impact on children and on families. That is why this motion is so important. Referring this matter to the committee is a step towards uncovering what has gone so drastically wrong. We need to review this case so that we can start identifying broader cultural and systemic issues in the care and protection system.
The call for this investigation has been echoed by many in our community, including Aboriginal elders and legal experts. We need to examine the ability to assess information in the care and protection system so that there is a balance between protecting privacy and providing transparency and accountability.
Key stakeholders have called for this, including the President of the ACT Human Rights Commission and the Children and Young People Commissioner. These community leaders have publicly asked for reform. They have put forward submissions to several reviews, the latest, of course, being Our Booris, Our Way. I have seen the minister try to hide behind this process. Yes, I also hope that Our Booris, Our Way yields results. Surely, anything has to be better than the current state of affairs.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video