Page 1853 - Week 05 - Thursday, 16 May 2019
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addressed these issues and raised these issues time and again. That is absolutely what the opposition is here to do.
To imply that Mr Milligan’s contribution is not valuable is churlish and petty. It demonstrates the very thin skin of some people in this place. The facts are that the ACT is amongst the worst performing jurisdictions in Australia. This includes the care of Aboriginal children in contact with the child protection system. What is a fact is that this government continues to exclude Aboriginal participation in child protection.
It is no surprise, therefore, that the ACT has the highest rate of Aboriginal children in touch with the care and protection system in Australia and the third highest rate of removal of Aboriginal children from their families in Australia. An Aboriginal child in the ACT is 14 times more likely than a non-Aboriginal child to be in out of home care, according to a 2018 report. There is a veil of secrecy over much in the child protection system.
We have heard from inquiry after inquiry. We have seen report after report. We have seen in recommendation after recommendation after recommendation the need for better information sharing and better review of decisions. That is where we come back to the crux of today’s motion. Mrs Kikkert’s motion has been worked through to come up with a good result.
However, it does not pay to deny the past, to try to sweep it under the table and pretend it does not exist, because what has happened in the past has brought us to the point we are at today—the point where, as I read in the paper, a mother was given access to her children for the equivalent of one day a year. This is shameful. This is absolutely shameful. We should face up to that and not try to pretend everything is going well.
Just because the current minister has not been in this portfolio for many years does not mean that we have not faced these same issues over and over again. I can only hope that Mrs Kikkert’s excellent motion today will be the catalyst—that perhaps finally, after all the years since the 2004 Vardon report, it achieves real change rather than lip-service from this government. I thank Mrs Kikkert for moving this motion today and for all the work she has done on it. I also thank the other members for their collaboration.
MRS KIKKERT (Ginninderra) (3.58), in reply: I think Ms Lawder brought things to a close really well. I thank my colleague James Milligan for being a strong advocate for and champion of Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders. I once again wish to thank Minister Stephen-Smith and Ms Le Couteur for their cooperation in bringing this motion before the Assembly today. I know there was a lot of work behind the scenes. We really appreciate the cooperation.
This is an important thing that we have done. I genuinely believe that this case analysis and this inquiry will be very positive things. I again express my complete confidence in the HACS committee and its members in undertaking these two matters. I trust them to act with care and wisdom so that we can get a complete and thoroughly truthful report whilst at the same time protecting those who will be engaged in this
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