APY Lands, Child Safety

The Hon. S.G. WADE (14:31): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking some questions of the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation in relation to the APY Lands Steering Committee.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: In 2008, the Mullighan inquiry—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Mr Wade has the floor.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: In 2008, the Mullighan inquiry concluded that the incidence—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: Point of order, Mr President: I can't hear.

The PRESIDENT: Yes, well, if you would notice, I am actually trying to get some order in the place, so it doesn't help with you standing up with a point of order. Minister.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: It would help if you actually stood up and called the place to order.

The PRESIDENT: Just sit down and let me handle this, will you? Minister, in particular, you have given your answer. Now the Hon. Mr Wade is asking another minister a question. I think it is incumbent upon us all to allow him to say it in silence. The Hon. Mr Wade.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: Thank you, Mr President. In 2008, the Mullighan inquiry concluded that the incidence of child sex abuse in the APY lands was widespread. For the next five years, the state government was required by law to produce an annual progress report detailing its response to the inquiry's recommendations. The fifth and final progress report was tabled in parliament on 27 November 2013. The final report indicated that the APY Lands Steering Committee, a committee comprising representatives from state and federal government agencies and the APY executive, would henceforth be responsible for monitoring the ongoing implementation of the Mullighan inquiry recommendations.

In 2014, the APY Lands Steering Committee met only twice, although chief executive Harrison has said: 'Child safety did not form part of the agenda' at either of the meetings. Five weeks ago, on 26 September 2015, The Advertiser reported that, 'every one of the 700 students on the APY lands has been exposed to some form of sex abuse, according to child protection workers'. On the day that this report appeared, the Minister for Education and Child Development was quizzed about the role and work of the APY Lands Steering Committee during an interview recorded for the Paper Tracker Radio Show.

In that interview, minister Close confirmed that the steering committee was responsible for the monitoring and implementation of the Mullighan inquiry recommendation, and said that it had met very recently, that child protection matters had been on the agenda and that this issue was being discussed very actively at the moment.

Ms Nerida Saunders is the Executive Director of Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation within the Department of State Development and the state government's lead representative on the APY Lands Steering Committee. A fortnight ago, in an interview with the Paper Tracker Radio Show, Ms Saunders said that the steering committee had not held any meetings this year. My questions to the minister are:

1. How can the South Australian public have any confidence in the government's purported commitment to protect children in remote Aboriginal communities when the committee charged with driving the implementation of the Mullighan inquiry recommendations has failed to even consider child protection matters on those rare occasions that it has met?

2. Given the conflict between the statements of the Minister for Education and Child Development on the work of the APY Lands Steering Committee, and the recent remarks of the Executive Director of Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, can the minister advise what are the facts?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation, Minister for Automotive Transformation, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (14:35): I thank the honourable member for his questions. On matters of child protection and responses to the Mullighan inquiry I am happy to take those questions on notice and refer them to the minister responsible for child protection in another place and bring back a reply.