WATERFORD, MR D.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE (Wright—Minister for Education and Child Development, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (14:06): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: Today, I announce the appointment of Mr David Waterford to the position of Deputy Chief Executive Officer Child Safety in the Department of Education and Child Development. Mr Waterford will be responsible for policy, practice and standards across the Department for Education and Child Development, leading a safeguarding redesign program across the whole of government and involving non-government organisations and school sectors, and overseeing Families SA, where he will continue to work for children at risk and under the guardianship of the minister.

Mr Waterford will be responsible for liaising with the interagency task force and overseeing the delivery of the recommendations which will soon by made by Justice Debelle. Mr Waterford has significant experience in the field of child protection, including at the national level, and has been the Executive Director of Families SA since 2009. Prior to that, he was Executive Director of the Department of Premier and Cabinet's Social Inclusion Unit, and had worked with the unit since 2002 on projects including school retention rates that saw rates restored to their 1994 levels of just under 90 per cent last year, compared to 69.5 per cent in 2002.

Mr Waterford brings a great deal of strength and commitment to this role. There are more than 22,800 teachers in the public school system. The disgraceful actions of a very small number have caused great distress to those people every day who dedicate their working lives to caring for and educating our children. Children attending our schools and pre-schools need to be safe, first and foremost, before we can expect them to learn. This appointment is an important step in restoring the confidence of parents in our public education system.

We are also increasing the capacity of the Special Investigations Unit to ensure we have more timely and thorough investigations. I have also asked the chief executive officer to fast-track improvements to the reporting and recording system in the school care unit. All of these steps are aimed at ensuring, as best we can, that we are providing the protection and care our children deserve.