Ministerial Accountability

Ms HILDYARD (Reynell) (14:37): My question is to the Minister for Child Protection. How has the minister been 'inquisitive, inquiring and challenging' in immediately seeking further information and taking action in relation to the correspondence received in May?

The Hon. R. SANDERSON (Adelaide—Minister for Child Protection) (14:38): I thank the member for the question. As far as being inquisitive, I don't think I know of anyone more inquisitive than myself. I have spent 2½ years inquiring—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Minister for Child Protection has the call.

The Hon. R. SANDERSON: I meet regularly with my CE—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left!

The Hon. R. SANDERSON: —and I have done for 2½ years. I went out of my way in my first couple of years to visit residential care homes and to visit with as many children as possible despite the bullying—

Dr Close interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Deputy leader!

The Hon. R. SANDERSON: —and attacks from the then shadow minister, trying to intimidate me out of visiting children in care. We have closed down the Queenstown 10-bed facility that Labor ignored for 10 years. The Guardian for Children and Young People—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. R. SANDERSON: —said that large bed facilities should be closed. Labor closed a couple and they opened a few more. They did immeasurable damage to children in care by ignoring reports—report after report. Let me list: the Layton review of 2003, there was a select committee on Families SA in 2007, a Mullighan inquiry, a further Mullighan inquiry on the APY lands, there was the Jarrad Delroy Roberts coronial inquest in 2009 and there was the Debelle inquiry in 2013. There was the Legislative Council Select Committee on Statutory Child Protection and Care in 2014.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. R. SANDERSON: There was the Hyde Review in 2014, the Chloe Valentine coronial inquest in 2015, the Nyland royal commission in 2016, the Ebony Napier coronial inquiry of 2016, the national Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in 2017, and the Heidi Singh coronial inquiry of 2017. That's the mess that I was left by the former Labor government—those who sit opposite: shame on you.

The SPEAKER: Members on my left, before I call the member for Colton, I call to order the member for Hurtle Vale, I warn the member for Badcoe, I warn the Minister for Education and I call to order the deputy leader. The member for Colton.