House of Assembly Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2) 52 2 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Mullighan Inquiry Recommendations MULLIGHAN INQUIRY RECOMMENDATIONS Dr McFETRIDGE House of Assembly Morphett MULLIGHAN INQUIRY RECOMMENDATIONS Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (14:33): My question is to the Minister for Education and Child Development. Can the minister tell the house how many of the 46 recommendations made in the Mullighan inquiry have been fully implemented? In the latest report, is there detailed, relevant and up-to-date information on the key outcomes and developments that have occurred in relation to each recommendation, the amount of funding allocated for each recommendation and the data on the number of mandatory notifications in that latest report? Is there a copy of the most recent version of any overarching plan the government has developed to ensure the timely implementation of the inquiry's recommendations? The Hon. G. PORTOLESI House of Assembly Hartley Minister for Education and Child Development MULLIGHAN INQUIRY RECOMMENDATIONS The Hon. G. PORTOLESI (Hartley—Minister for Education and Child Development) (14:34): I thank the shadow minister for this question. The Mullighan inquiry was established in 2006 to examine child abuse on the APY lands, and everybody in this place acknowledges that this was a very significant piece of work. It provided the government with 46 recommendations, 45 of which we had accepted. I am pleased to report that substantial progress has been made, with 37 of the 45 recommendations now completed; 26 of these recommendations were reported as completed in the 2011 annual report. In relation to the recommendations that have been progressed this year, a further 11 have now been reported as completed. I would like to summarise that quickly. I am very happy to provide a detailed briefing for the honourable member, but in summary: recommendation 10, reviewing the effectiveness of service providers involved in child protection; recommendation 13, new housing; recommendation 19, sexually transmitted diseases reported; recommendation 23, Nganampa DECD, SA Police, in relation to protocols and policies around child abuse; recommendations 24, 27, 29; and recommendations 30, 32, 42 and 43. As the Premier mentioned a moment ago, this government has a great deal to be proud of in relation to the work that we have done in relation to this matter. These are incredibly complex matters. I know the shadow minister has a deep commitment to this area, and I am certainly happy to work with him in relation to our Aboriginal children. I am very happy to provide a more detailed report to him.