Children in State Care

The Hon. S.L. GAME (14:56): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before directing a question to the Minister for Primary Industries, representing the Minister for Child Protection, regarding the child protection system.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.L. GAME: In the last decade, states outside of South Australia have seen the rates of children in care stabilise while South Australia has seen a 62 per cent rise. This has seen government expenditure on out-of-home care services rise by 264 per cent over the same period. That equates to an additional $448 million per annum spent on children in state care. If South Australia performed at the national average, there would be 1,560 fewer children and young people in state care. My questions to the minister are:

1. Why is the Malinauskas government only investing 9.1 per cent of its child protection budget on family support services compared with Victoria which invests 26.7 per cent of its budget on family support services?

2. Will the Malinauskas government now consider matching the amount spent in other states?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (14:57): I thank the honourable member for her question and her ongoing interest in this topic. I will refer it to the Minister for Child Protection in the other place and bring back a response.