Child Protection Department

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:45): My question is to the Premier. Does the Premier still believe that having a dedicated child protection agency is, and I quote from his own words, 'a retrograde step' and that combining the Department for Education with child protection was, and I quote, 'a very important reform for this government'?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier) (14:45): No, I don't agree with that anymore. We have changed our mind about that because it hasn't worked, but the objective remains. We are not giving up the objective of having a child protection agency which is focused on the tertiary end, the most difficult end, the area where children are at risk, and trying to use every other mainstream agency, including the non-government sector, to support families to strengthen them.

We want, as far as we possibly can, not to punish families whose only crime is to be in poverty. We want to make sure that we can support those families to be as strong as they can so that they can care for their children, and that is the only way any system of child protection can effectively function. We need also to be wise enough to be able to discern when a family is tipped over the edge and children are at real risk of harm and to be able to assertively and quickly remove those children from those circumstances.

So, that remains our vision for child protection. As to the means by which we achieve it, of course, we are prepared to expose ourselves to advice. We are prepared to change the views that we have about this on advice. I must say, though, that none of the inquiries that we have had previously, whether it be Robyn Layton's inquiry, the Mullighan royal commission, the Debelle inquiry, until now, until today, none have recommended that there be a stand-alone child protection agency. None have recommended that. They have recommended that today, as a stand-alone agency, and we have acted on it today.