Statutes Amendment (Boards and Committees - Abolition and Reform) Bill

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading (resumed on motion).

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (15:41): For example, if data was recorded on the APY lands in respect of complaints or allegations of child sexual abuse and the like to the local agency which, geographically, is Coober Pedy, and if that data was sufficiently detailed enough to record where there had been allegations in respect of an Indigenous child who was resident on the APY lands at the time of the alleged abuse, we might have some hope of following through, ultimately, in dealing with the very serious allegations as recorded in the second Mullighan report in respect of child abuse which was undertaken by some senior people in his royal commission but which was under the hand, ultimately, of the late Ted Mullighan, who was the commissioner in respect of that inquiry.

That report detailed a shocking amount of high-level, very high-level abuse—'epidemic' I think was the word that was used—that was allegedly occurring on the APY lands at the time of that inquiry, yet I have looked at this issue myself, and probably other members have too, in trying to ascertain the data in respect of the record keeping of alleged child sexual abuse for South Australians and, in particular, in respect of the region which Mr Mullighan had identified as so chronically in a crisis situation. Yet, I have had answers back from the Premier as the minister for families and community services (I think that was its title at the time) that, 'We don't keep records of the nature of where the complaint has arisen.'

What is going on if we have a problem allegedly of 'epidemic' proportions, as reported by the Hon. Ted Mullighan, and we have data collection which is bereft or inadequate in ensuring that the agencies have the capacity to be able to monitor, improve and provide services and/or intervention, and/or protective measures to deal with that issue if we do not keep a record of it?

Similarly in recording and publication, whether it is by Nganampa Health Council or the Department for Health, the records in relation to the frequency of cases reported of children under five having sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia and the like which historically have been kept are no longer kept. Similarly we have complaints—and I have raised this again because the Freedom of Information Act does not apply to the Aboriginal health councils like the Nganampa Health Council—that we do not have any data disclosed in their annual reports or in the reports provided by the department on the level of marijuana use or other illicit drug use on the APY lands.

Why is this important? Of course it was important to have this available to us because good work was done on dealing with the prohibition of petrol on the APY lands and the introduction of a fuel that was non-sniffable, apparently. It was an aviation-type fuel. I cannot remember the name of it now.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Opal.

Ms CHAPMAN: Opal, the Deputy Speaker has kindly informed me. So, there was a reduction in the use of cars using petrol. All these measures were put in place to help deal with this issue. There were complaints to me, and I am sure to other members at the time and probably even to ministers, that there was an increasing and corresponding use of other illicit drugs, namely marijuana, in particular.

When we go to the data to try to ascertain whether this is a problem, and whether we could ask the government what they are doing, try to propose something to the government that might work or work with the government on a measure that would help to deal with this issue, there is no data. It was music to my eyes, or ears, as you might say, when I read the Health Performance Council Annual Report of 2013-14, which told us that they were looking into questions of Aboriginal health.

They had looked at a case study and they looked at the question of data. They were very concerned about the Closing the Gap policy, which clearly was not closing the gap on any kind of assessment that we could be proud of or that we could feel confident there was actually movement on. This was the important work that the Health Performance Council were looking at.

As I mentioned prior to lunch, my understanding is that at least one other agency—I think, from recollection, it is the Aboriginal affairs department, now under minister Maher (an honourable member of another house)—is going to take up some responsibility to make sure this happens. Why? Because the health department will give advice to ministers, we would hope frankly and fearlessly but we are not confident that that happens. They certainly are not forthcoming in presenting data even to their own ministers and certainly not in their annual reports, which give the full picture of what is happening in the health services in South Australia.

One of the very important reasons we have a Health Performance Council is that it is the sole remaining watchdog that is independent and can do that job. I for one am very pleased at the work that the Health Performance Council has undertaken since its inception. I want to place on the record my appreciation to the members of the council under the chairmanship of Ms Dunn. I cannot immediately recall whether Ms Dunn has had the role as Chair from the inception of the council.

The council is represented by a large field of people who are qualified in everything from data to administration of government to medical, scientific and aged-care services and the like. There is a breadth of advisers, including some academics, who are there to make sure that we as a parliament get the full picture, or at least the picture as best we can get it, not the censored or restricted data that filters up through the department into the minister's office on matters which he or she, whoever it is at any one time, is giving us advice on.

As I said before lunch, the best example of an endorsement for the Health Performance Council came from the Hon. John Hill himself when we were debating the Health Care Act and the introduction of the new Health Performance Council. I cannot locate what he said immediately; I will come back to that in a moment.

What I want to mention is what the Health Performance Council recorded in its annual report for 2013-14 on page 3. The message from the chairperson (who, of course, is Ms Dunn) was as follows:

The primary task of the HPC is to provide independent advice to the Minister and the Parliament on the effectiveness of the health system in its operation, in producing good health outcomes for South Australians, and in engaging communities and individuals in improving their health.

Then they quote in their report a statement by Professor Michael Kidd AM, the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at the Flinders University, from 2014. He said:

The Health Performance Council has provided an invaluable service to the people of South Australia throughout its existence…the HPC has proven its value as an independent evidence-based monitor of the performance of our health system and has been empowered to analyse, evaluate and provide advice about improvements that continue to result in real benefits to health consumers and health service providers.

I seek leave to continue my remarks.

Leave granted; debated adjourned.

The Hon. T.R. KENYON: Deputy Speaker, I draw your attention to the state of the house.

A quorum having been formed: