CHILDREN IN STATE CARE

Mr BIGNELL (Mawson) (14:32): My question is to the Minister for Families and Communities. Can she update the house on what is being done to provide safe and secure housing for children in state care?

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE (Wright—Minister for Families and Communities, Minister for Housing, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Disability) (14:32): In a perfect world there would be no need for alternative care because every child would be able to live at home safely with their mum and dad until they became adults. Unfortunately, it is not a perfect world, so we need to do what we can to look after these young people who are not as lucky as most. The first step is to ensure that they are safe, and this is closely followed by providing them with the opportunity to live in a stable environment in which they can grow and thrive.

I am pleased to inform the house that by Christmas the state government will have opened its new 12-bed medium to long-term accommodation home in Adelaide's south, and by the end of the financial year we hope to have no children in long-term emergency accommodation; that is, no more children in bed and breakfasts or apartments.

The Noarlunga facility has been constructed to provide three four-person units, and the first children will be moving in next week. These children are aged between eight and 14 and include four Aboriginal children who have been living in emergency accommodation. The Noarlunga units are in addition to the Queenstown residential community units, which came into operation in April of this year, and now 12 young people aged between 11 and 17 live there, with 24-hour care, and eight of these children have come from emergency accommodation.

I have previously informed the house of 24 places that have become available at the new Tregenza Villas earlier this year. I know that the member for Bragg thinks quality accommodation such as this is a waste of money, but we clearly have different values and expectations for our young boys and girls. The eight Tregenza homes over two sites have been remodelled to accommodate three children in each, which assists us in keeping siblings together.

In addition to Tregenza, Noarlunga and Queenstown, 18 large additional homes will also be provided under the economic stimulus package; four are already occupied and the remainder will become available in the next six months. These houses are not emergency accommodation, they are stable long-term housing for South Australian children who would not have had this kind of security, in some cases, ever before in their lives.

This Christmas, I am pleased that more young people will be given this chance. I am very pleased that, within the next six months, I am very hopeful we will not have any children in long term emergency accommodation.