Child Protection

Mr TEAGUE (Heysen) (14:30): My question is to the Minister for Child Protection. Has the minister put in place and applied any procedures or policies better to monitor children in state care? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr TEAGUE: On 4 July, The Advertiser reported that one of the 15-year-old boys arrested as a result of the Westfield Marion lockdown was under the care of the Department for Child Protection at the time.

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) (14:31): I will try to explain this again. First of all, I am not going to be drawn on matters that are potentially the subject of police investigations or court proceedings. I will not be, because by inference I do not want to intervene in any way in those proceedings.

There are two other things, though, relevant to that question that I will provide information about to again try to provide elucidation to the member about the experiences of children and young people in care. What is really important for everybody in this place to understand is that children and young people in contact with the child protection and family support system, very sadly, are more likely to be the victims of crime—much more likely to be the victims of crime. Often, throughout their childhood and throughout their lives they have been in particularly devastating circumstances that mean they are often, sadly, subject to terrible behaviour that is often the reason that they then come into care. That is the first thing to understand.

The second thing I really want to say to the member for Heysen—and when I say this I have in my heart and my mind an incredible group of young people who live in care who I was with just last week. Just last week I spent a couple of hours with them talking about the comprehensive legislation that we are currently providing information to our community about. One of the things they talked with me about is how important it is to their dignity to have confidentiality about what is happening in their lives.

One of the things that struck me on that occasion and that strikes me every time I spend time with young people in care is that, as much as the member for Heysen wants to have these sorts of questions, with no interest whatsoever in the significant policy effort that we have advanced that is beginning to make change—no interest whatsoever—I know from these conversations that these young people are extraordinary. They are extraordinary.

They are the most resilient, strong, clever, wise young people I have ever met. They have gone through some of the most heartbreaking and horrendous circumstances that, until I read some of them, it was hard to even imagine that that would be possible to happen to a young person. So I hope that one day the member for Heysen begins to contemplate that about those children and young people—that strength, that resilience—rather than trying to score political points and pretending there isn't a policy effort. I hope that someday he understands their strength.

Mr BATTY: Point of order, sir.

The SPEAKER: Order! There is a point of order, minister.

Mr BATTY: Point of order 98: the minister is debating and reflecting on the member for Heysen, who has asked a very genuine question about what policies and procedures are in place.

The SPEAKER: The minister has finished the answer. Member for Chaffey.