CHILDREN IN STATE CARE INQUIRY

Mr HAMILTON-SMITH (Waite—Leader of the Opposition) (14:17): What a convenient time for the opening! My question is to the Premier. Have police at all times during his government's tenure acted promptly and thoroughly to investigate issues of child abuse, such as those raised in the Mullighan report? In his findings, Commissioner Mullighan refers to sex parties involving paedophiles and young people in state care, and said:

The problem still exists. In July 2007 the department identified 16 children living in residential units as frequent absconders who are considered to be at high risk from sexual exploitation.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Minister for Families and Communities, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Minister for Housing, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Disability, Minister Assisting the Premier in Cabinet Business and Public Sector Management) (14:17): This government is the government that faced up to the shameful history of child sexual abuse in this country. It was this government that faced up to those matters, and the way in which we faced up to it was important, because it was the design of the inquiry—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: I hear them say that we were dragged kicking and screaming. What we steadfastly rejected at all times was a royal commission which would have turned into the sort of circus that would have had no-one coming forward. It would not have had the degree of disclosures which we have seen through the Mullighan inquiry. The great success of this inquiry is the confidence that Commissioner Mullighan was able to build between himself and those people who came forward. It was the deliberate design of the inquiry and the choice of the Commissioner that those opposite resisted which was, indeed, the great success of the inquiry.

The reason that we have 170 of these individuals, the victims of these foul crimes, who have disclosed their allegations (which have now been referred to our police) involving many hundreds of perpetrators is a direct result of the Mullighan inquiry and the decisions taken by this government. Where have they been referred? They have been referred to the Paedophile Task Force. And why is there a Paedophile Task Force? Because this government set one up. Why is there indeed anything to investigate? It is because this government removed the ridiculous barrier to prosecuting those people who committed their offences before 1982.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: I want to contrast that with the conduct of members opposite. A very interesting document has just come into my possession. It is a document which has been buried for a number of years. The document is dated October 1999 and is titled, 'Stage 1 of the Evaluation of the Department of Human Services, Strategic Planning and Policy Division, Alternative Care Evaluation Report'. It is a detailed report into what is described as 'the crisis that exists within our alternative care system'.

This was a very difficult report to find, because there were only rumours of it. In fact, it was actually buried. It was not filed but, rather, buried in a way that was calculated to ensure people could not find it. Multiple copies were made of this report for the purpose of dissemination. What happened to those multiple copies? They were destroyed. What does this report catalogue? It catalogues a system of alternative care in absolute crisis and on its knees.

I will give members opposite a little taste of what they were presiding over and what they deliberately sought to cover up. The report, amongst other things, states:

The system appears to be stretched to the limits, with inadequate numbers of placements and placement options...FAYS services are crisis-driven and unable to always provide ongoing support to children in care...The pressure in the system, created as a result of the imbalance between supply and demand, are most critical...There is no evidence (and this is very important) to suggest that any improvements have been made—to the contrary—there are indications that things are getting worse.

The contrast is that we face up to the difficult issues and we respond to them. Those opposite bury the difficult issues and seek to come in here and cast aspersions on us.