Question Time

Minister for Child Protection

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA (Hartley—Leader of the Opposition) (14:10): My question is to the Premier. Does the Premier stand by his Minister for Child Protection? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA: Today The Advertiser reported that the parliament is considering a censure motion calling for the resignation of the Minister for Child Protection, following her failure to listen to key stakeholder concerns on the government's new child protection bill.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (14:11): Of course I do. I think that goes without saying. Anyone who knows the Minister for Child Protection would be well familiar with the fact that she is driving positive change within the portfolio with extraordinary enthusiasm and genuine commitment, along with a sense of empathy. I am very grateful, as I know a very large number of people in the child protection sector are very grateful, for the work that the minister is undertaking.

The minister hasn't chosen the easy path of a do-nothing approach in child protection. Instead, she has actually been rather diligent in taking up the challenge, which includes putting legislation into the parliament. That is not an easy course of action for a child protection minister because it's always an area of legislative reform that will invite different opinions and contention. That is the way it works, but, knowing the minister the way that I do, and the way that many of us do, taking on a challenge is entirely within her nature. In fact, that is her MO. So I am very grateful for the work that the minister is leading.

We also look at the budget. Over consecutive budgets now, handed down by the Treasurer, there has been a big uplift in funding to child protection in a way that doesn't just reflect the cost of the agency but also delivers really important reforms, particularly in terms of the investments that we have made around bringing family group conferencing, which has probably been the best example of that and which we know makes a material difference. That is almost exclusively, I have to say, because of the minister's hard work and advocacy.

The upper house will do its thing and the opposition will do its thing, and that is their prerogative, but the minister will keep going on doing her thing. Her thing is seeking to reform child protection in this state in a positive way, in a thoughtful way, and only with the best interests of children at heart.