Child Protection Department

Mr TEAGUE (Heysen) (16:56): My question is to the Minister for Child Protection. Has the minister been briefed on reports of a department employee being charged with serious child sex abuse offences? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr TEAGUE: On 21 June 2024, media reported that a South Australian Department for Child Protection employee had been arrested and charged with serious child sex abuse offences after allegedly sexually assaulting a boy in her care.

The Hon. K.A. HILDYARD (Reynell—Minister for Child Protection, Minister for Women and the Prevention of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (16:56): Thank you to the member for the question. I am aware of that media story. That was aired I think on 21 June in relation to a vile sex offender. I am not going to comment further on that matter because it is before the courts, but I can say that, again, the person that is alleged to be that awful child sex offender is not directly employed by the Department for Child Protection.

What I would also say is that, no matter how many questions they throw in this regard, I am not going to be drawn into details of police investigations, but I will say that, whenever there are stories about child sex offenders, they are sickening and I think the full force of the law should be engaged in relation to child sex offenders.

What I can also say is that I am constantly briefed on matters pertaining to what our department is doing to deal with the need to make sure that children and young people are supported in a way that helps them to be safe. What I would also say is that the full force of the law should always—always—be directed towards any vile child sex offenders. It is a crime that makes me feel ill and I am sure everybody in here as well and that is why our department is doing a number of things in this space in a broad way.

Firstly, it has funded a partnership with the Western Australian government for the Australian Centre for Child Protection to focus on children and young people and their experience of harmful sexual behaviour. We also have another program that is funded called Power to Kids, which again is about supporting and empowering young people to understand what is dangerous behaviour. We will continue to fund those programs.

But further to that, our government—as the Attorney has spoken about a number of times in the other place, and as I know the member for Heysen has engaged in—in debate in this place has passed a significant body of legislation to absolutely toughen penalties for child sex offences, as we should. I know that the opposition supported those bills, as they should, and it was a good example of us progressing really important legislation to deal with vile, vile predators. We have flagged other reforms that we will make in this regard. We will continue to work toward them, as we should, and again I would ask everyone in the house to be part of making those changes too.