Child Protection

Ms STINSON (Badcoe) (14:40): My question is to the Minister for Child Protection. Can the minister rule out her or her department ever again considering the introduction of 12-hour shifts for residential care workers?

The Hon. R. SANDERSON (Adelaide—Minister for Child Protection) (14:40): I thank the member for her question and—

Ms Stinson interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Badcoe is warned.

The Hon. R. SANDERSON: Why don't we set the scene of the child protection department that I was left with after 16 years—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Minister, be seated. The deputy leader can leave for the rest of question time, please.

The honourable member for Port Adelaide having withdrawn from the chamber:

Mr Pederick interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Hammond can join her for the rest of question time.

The honourable member for Hammond having withdrawn from the chamber:

The SPEAKER: The minister has the call. I understand the interjections, on my left especially, but I will allow the minister some time to compare and contrast, and then I expect her to come to the substance of the question. I would like members on my left to be quiet.

The Hon. R. SANDERSON: As we are well aware, you can look at the Robyn Layton report, the two Mullighan inquiries, the Debelle inquiry, the Nyland royal commission to see that child protection as a system was not working under the Labor government. In fact, in every measure it was failing dismally—

The Hon. L.W.K. Bignell interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Mawson is warned.

The Hon. R. SANDERSON: —so when I came in a year ago as the minister, pretty well every single thing I looked at in that department I would look at changing. It was a mess, an absolute mess. Calls weren't being answered—

Mr Szakacs interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Cheltenham is warned. That didn't take long.

The Hon. R. SANDERSON: —investigations weren't being made. There were high numbers of 'closed, no action'. Under the Report on Government Services, we were the lowest, if not in the bottom two, on every possible measure. My department and my CE, Cathy Taylor, have been working hard to look at every single area and how we can improve it. We are looking at every area, from computer systems to resourcing to how we do things—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. R. SANDERSON: —to the treatment of our foster carers.

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Leader!

The Hon. R. SANDERSON: We have already announced several policies, as members know. Under Labor—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. R. SANDERSON: —there was strike action from the PSA because of the 270 FTE vacancies—

The Hon. S.C. Mullighan interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Lee is two warnings.

The Hon. R. SANDERSON: —that had been held for almost four years that I was the shadow minister. We are working hard to address staffing issues. We have broadened the qualifications that are accepted and we have already placed over 30 people in front-line positions under that new policy. We are answering more calls, we have fewer hang-ups, we are making more investigations. More children are being kept safe under this government, and I will not apologise for that.

We are improving our efficiencies and, as members know, we will continue to improve our efficiencies. We will look at every, single area from staffing to recruiting to foster caring. We have already announced foster and kinship care repayments to 21, the first state in the nation to initiate that. I am very proud of the changes we are making and we will continue to make—

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order, sir.

The SPEAKER: There is a point of order. One moment, minister.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: You gave the minister two minutes to expand on the question. Now if she could get to the substance of the question—debate, sir.

The SPEAKER: The point of order is debate. I believe the minister is finishing up her answer.

The Hon. R. SANDERSON: I am, to say that—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. R. SANDERSON: —everything is on the table, any efficiency, anything that we can do to improve the outcomes for our children.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Allow the minister to finish.

The Hon. R. SANDERSON: My job is to look after the children who are in my care, and I will do that and I will do it in any way that is necessary to get better outcomes for the children under my guardianship.