Ministerial Statement

APY LANDS INQUIRY

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Minister for Environment and Conservation, Minister for Early Childhood Development, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Minister Assisting the Premier in Cabinet Business and Public Sector Management) (14:05): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: On 1 May 2008, the government received the Children on Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands Commission of Inquiry Report into Sexual Abuse. In accordance with legislation, I am today tabling the preliminary response to that report. The response I am tabling today shows that the government will support almost two-thirds of the recommendations. A further six are supported in principle, but some further consideration is required regarding their implementation. Ten recommendations are noted: three are primarily directed at bodies other than the state government and the remaining seven require further consideration before committing to them.

One recommendation is not accepted in significant part. The government will not establish a short-term remand facility in the APY lands. We believe resources are better directed to enhancing community safety and child protection. Instead, the government is establishing 12 additional beds for traditional Aboriginal men at the Port Augusta corrections facility. This government established the commission because of the difficulties in obtaining hard evidence about suspected sexual abuse on the lands. It was hoped the model would provide a safe option for those who had experienced or had information about child sexual abuse.

Commissioner Mullighan's report makes harrowing reading and vindicates the decision to examine the issue more closely. He was, however, unable to elicit any direct reports of child sexual abuse. In his report, Commissioner Mullighan details the culture of silence that prevents people speaking out. It is in this context that he makes many of his recommendations. Accordingly, the government believes that fundamental to every strategy is establishing confidence about community safety, to ensure people can come forward and confidence that, on coming forward, something will be done. The government's immediate response, made within days of receiving the report, announced eight more police officers (bringing the total to 19) and five more child protection workers.

The commonwealth assisted with money to build a third new police station and staff housing. Today's report outlines the further action that we will take to improve community safety and the child protection system. I can report that the police are on track to have all three police stations built by the second half of 2009, but the government will not wait to place more police on the lands. Temporary accommodation has been secured, and from August SAPOL will fly in additional police to live temporarily in accommodation at Umuwa, Murputja and Amata. This will bring to 12 the number of sworn police on the lands in addition to the six servicing the lands from Marla and the community constables and police Aboriginal liaison officers.

Temporary accommodation has also been sourced for the additional social workers and child protection officers. Recruitment is underway, and they too will soon be on the lands. Today I can also announce that we will build a safe house at Umuwa to ensure that abused children and their carers are protected while other interventions are put in place. Critical to community safety is proper governance. It is appropriate that the commissioner made governance the topic of his first recommendation. Without proper governance structures, people on the APY lands can have no confidence that the communities will be able to keep them safe and no confidence that they will be protected if they speak out about abuse.

The government will shortly release a discussion paper outlining its preferred model for governance on the lands. We will consult with the relevant stakeholders before deciding the final model. Also critical to safety is sufficient housing. The state and commonwealth governments have been working hard at delivering the commonwealth's $25 million housing offer. The granting of leases by the APY Executive Board in relation to the first tranche of that housing is expected in late August. Construction, involving the training of Anangu as part of the construction program, can then commence.

As I have mentioned, some of Commissioner Mullighan's recommendations require further consideration before a detailed response is given. We are placing significant additional resources on the lands to tackle child sexual abuse and changing the way in which agencies respond. The increased resources and changed practices will themselves affect the nature of the other services which are required and the level of need for those services. Decisions about how existing services are able to accommodate these needs and appropriate new ways of addressing them will require careful analysis. The government will provide a further response to those recommendations in its six-month response.

Tackling sexual abuse is everyone's business. Commissioner Mullighan's recommendations are directed at the state government, the commonwealth government, non-government organisations and the Aboriginal community. He urges us to work in partnership. Our response today sets out how we will do that. I table the government's preliminary response pursuant to section 11A of the Commission of Inquiry (Children in State Care) Act 2004.