Child Protection

Ms HILDYARD (Reynell) (14:50): My question is to the Minister for Child Protection. What responsibility do you personally take for any failure to keep children in care safe? With your leave, and that of the house, Mr Speaker, I will explain.

The SPEAKER: Leave is sought. Perhaps we will hear out the full question and then we will take the point of order. Leader of Government Business, it will only take a moment.

Leave granted.

The SPEAKER: Very well. Let's hear the end of the question and then I will come to you, Leader of Government Business.

Ms HILDYARD: In the report of the independent inquiry into reporting practices in the minister's department, Paul Rice QC states that there 'was a significant failure on the minister's part'.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Point of order: it has been ruled in this house many times that it is not allowable to make an argument and then seek leave and provide alleged facts or quotes or information like that when the allegation from the member was that the minister has failed to do this and that and the other.

The SPEAKER: Standing order 97, I have earlier reflected for the benefit of members, provides, 'In putting any such question, a Member may not offer argument or opinion,' and it goes on, of course, to illustrate the way in which leave might be sought. The member for Reynell, I will give you an opportunity to rephrase the question. It seems to me at first glance that there is a form of putting the question that may not stray under the standing orders.

Ms HILDYARD: Reframe?

The SPEAKER: Yes.

Ms HILDYARD: Minister, do you personally take any responsibility when children in care are unsafe?

The Hon. R. SANDERSON (Adelaide—Minister for Child Protection) (14:52): I thank the member for her question. Obviously as minister, my role is to look at the policies and procedures and the failings of the former Labor government over 16 years and look at ways that we can improve the safety of children and young people.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister has the call. The question has been asked and the minister has the call.

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, the leader!

The Hon. R. SANDERSON: I think there was a great article in InDaily in which Jay Weatherill himself said—let's quote from Jay Weatherill: 'There isn't a child protection system anywhere in the world—

The SPEAKER: Minister, please be seated; there is a point of order.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Standing order 98: the minister may not debate the answer but must answer the substance of the question. The minister is now debating the answer.

The SPEAKER: The Leader of Government Business, a point of order to the point of order.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: In answering the question, the minister actually started saying 'my responsibilities include' and is continuing on with her answer addressing the question.

The SPEAKER: The member for West Torrens, I see that the point you make may be persuasive. I am going to allow the minister to continue and I will be listening carefully to the answer.

The Hon. R. SANDERSON: As I was saying, I quote from the InDaily article where Jay Weatherill says, 'There isn’t a child protection system anywhere in the world that’s going to stop bad things happening.' My role as the minister is to make policies and procedures and to work with the department to work always in the best interests of our children. This government, on coming into government, has had a whole-of-government response and we need a whole-of-community response as well.

We looked at the failings of the former Labor government. We looked at all the inquiries, the inquests, the Coroner's reports and the royal commissions that all spoke of the toxic culture, the cover-up, the standover tactics and the fear-based culture that they had, and I have worked very hard with my department and its leadership to change that culture. In fact, I was in Mount Gambier on Friday speaking to a staff member—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. R. SANDERSON: —who had been in the department for over a decade and who came back two years ago after having a child. They had been under the Labor government, gone away, come back and said that they have seen a noticeable difference. There is better training, there are better policies, there are better procedures and the culture has improved.

I know from hearing on the ground firsthand from staff that the policies and procedures of this Liberal government are making significant changes to staff and significant changes to the children and young people in our care.

My responsibility is to continually improve what we are doing. There is no fail-safe way of protecting our children, as the former Premier and child protection minister, Jay Weatherill, has stated.