Child Protection

Mr TEAGUE (Heysen—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:43): Again, my question is to the Minister for Child Protection. Has the minister and does the minister if so maintain a commitment to abandon the legislative reform if the parliament does adopt the recommendation to support the best interests principle, and if so why?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: The member just asked a hypothetical question, asking what would you do if something occurred. It's out of order.

The SPEAKER: It is a hypothetical question but I will give you the opportunity to maybe rephrase the question, deputy leader.

Mr TEAGUE: Has the minister indicated a commitment to abandon the legislative reform if parliament adopts the recommendations to support best interests? That's a past fact. Has that occurred?

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order, sir. If you ask a question that says, 'What will happen if,' it's a hypothetical question.

The SPEAKER: If everyone is quiet, I can actually hear the question.

Mr TEAGUE: On the point of order, the question contains a hypothetical, it’s true. But the question is premised on whether or not the minister has indicated that that is the course of action the minister is committed to, and that is a question of fact, and it's a yes and no answer.

The SPEAKER: If you change the question to not have the 'if' and just say, 'Would you change your commitment to it?' could you do it that way?

Mr TEAGUE: That would become hypothetical. The question is whether the minister has given such an indication.

The Hon. K.A. HILDYARD (Reynell—Minister for Child Protection, Minister for Women and the Prevention of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence) (14:45): I think I answered the previous question at length about the interaction between those two principles. What I would also provide the house information about is the extensive other reform that is in this legislation that, again, I have not had any indication of the position of those opposite.

On those significant reforms, reforms that will help to improve children and young people's lives, I have not heard one position from you whatsoever on any of those things. But I will let you know again what they are, and maybe at some point you will determine whether or not you care about those things or have a policy in relation to them, because right now there has been nothing. Shamefully, nothing.

Some of those reforms include adopting a public health approach to child protection and family support in conjunction with every department that has a role to play in the lives of children, young people and their families, in conjunction with every other department in that space, to develop a statewide strategy for child protection and family support. The reason that we are doing that is because anybody who has any knowledge about this complex area of child protection and family support—people right across the sector—knows that we need to work right across government in this space.

For the very first time in this legislation, the Minister for Child Protection, after consulting with other departments, after the development of their part of the particular strategy, will lay before the parliament a state strategy for child protection and family support, so that we have, as we should, a joined up effort, so that Education plays their role and so that every other department—Health—plays their role in the development of this state strategy.

We have extensive provisions in there that privilege the voices of children and young people engaged with the system, and rightly so. Those provisions include provisions that, for many, many years now, children and young people in care have told me are really important to them, and that is that they will now have a voice through this legislation in terms of decisions that are made about their care. Also, one of the things that they talk about constantly is a desire to have connection, where it is safe to do so, with their siblings. For the first time ever, this legislation speaks about that desire of children and young people, where it is safe to do so, to have connection with their siblings.

We have an entire section of this act, part 4 of the legislation that we have put forward, that absolutely privileges the voices of Aboriginal children, young people, their families and communities, and rightly so. It goes into detail about progressive delegation of authority, which goes to our commitment as a government to strengthening the capacity of the Aboriginal community-controlled organisation sector. It speaks about the requirement for all Aboriginal families to be offered or have a family group conference convened for them. It goes into detail about respected persons in particular proceedings. These reforms are far reaching and they will absolutely make a difference.