VICTIMS OF ABUSE IN STATE CARE (COMPENSATION) BILL

Introduction and First Reading

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE (16:53): Obtained leave and introduced a bill for an act to establish a scheme for the determination of claims for payment of statutory compensation to persons who have suffered abuse or neglect while in state care. Read a first time.

Second Reading

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE (16:53): I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

There are only some technical drafting alterations to the bill I introduced last sitting week, and the second reading speech I made to the council then is still totally relevant to this bill. This is just a technical drafting matter, and I thank parliamentary counsel and the Clerk for the work they did for me on this matter.

The PRESIDENT: I understand that the previous bill, which was withdrawn, was a money bill: this is a different bill. The honourable member should make his second reading speech. He could have it inserted into Hansard without his reading it.

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE: Thank you for your advice, sir, and that of the Clerk. I will start my remarks, but I give notice that I will seek leave to conclude those remarks on the next Wednesday of sitting.

This is a very important bill because not only Family First but also many of our parliamentary colleagues have been very concerned about the difficult and disastrous situation in which many wards of the state have found themselves, through no fault of their own. Whilst there has been an apology in the parliament, the Mullighan inquiry, and work done by the former member for Family First (Hon. Andrew Evans)—whose place I took as a casual vacancy—which was supported by the parliament and which ensured that many paedophiles are now locked away in prison and unable to harm other young people in South Australia, it still remains that many wards of the state of South Australia need proper redress.

More important to them than money is a written apology and general support to allow them to get on with their future, but I will talk more about that later in the debate. At this point, suffice to say that, if the bill is supported by my colleagues in this place and then passed in the other house, it will either push the government into accelerating its endeavours to pay proper compensation to these victims—as has already been done in some other states; in fact, one has finished paying out their wards of state and another is well on the way to doing that—or ensure that the law is there for them to be able to get straightforward due process, financial support and a proper written apology. With those few words I seek leave to conclude my remarks later.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.