FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES DEPARTMENT

Mrs REDMOND (Heysen—Leader of the Opposition) (14:23): My question is to the Minister for Families and Communities. After eight years of this government, why is it that many carers have no confidence that their cases will be given a proper, fair, independent and transparent investigation and that they fear being left with a tainted record and being stigmatised by departmental staff, as stated in the report of the select committee?

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE (Wright—Minister for Families and Communities, Minister for Northern Suburbs, Minister for Housing, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Disability) (14:24): Again, I make the point that it was a very select committee.

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Unley is warned.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: These assertions are coming from the leader of a party that when in government had no commitment to child protection in South Australia. It was not until we took government that we had the Layton review into child protection and the Mullighan inquiry, and we have put money where our mouth is, with the largest ever injection of money into child protection that this state has ever seen.

Mr Williams interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for MacKillop is warned.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: What we did was set up an independent investigations unit where children could go and where people could lodge their complaints if they felt that something untoward was happening in relation to a child in care. We have just this week had the apology from the Prime Minister, acknowledging that in years gone by abuses have occurred to children within the care system when they have been under the care of the state. Is the Leader of the Opposition suggesting for one minute that we should not have investigations into claims of abuse against children who are in care?