Motions

Child Sexual Assault

The Hon. L.A. HENDERSON (21:15): I move:

That this council—

1. Acknowledges that 20.8 per cent of criminal cases listed in the South Australian District Court from Monday 6 May 2024 to Tuesday 11 June 2024 were child sexual assault and child exploitation-related matters;

2. Condemns the prevalence of child sexual assaults in South Australia;

3. Acknowledges that reported child sexual assaults are only a fraction of assaults that have occurred;

4. Acknowledges the recent calls for action to eliminate family, domestic and sexual violence; and

5. Calls for the Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence to address the concerning prevalence of child sexual assaults within South Australia.

Sometimes life is not fair. Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason, there is no logical explanation. Sometimes really bad things happen to good people through no fault of their own. Sometimes the people who ought to be the greatest of protectors are the biggest let-down and the biggest threat of all.

Of the criminal cases listed in the South Australian District Court from Monday 6 May 2024 to Tuesday 11 June 2024, 20.8 per cent were child sexual assault and child exploitation-related matters. On 6 May 2024 alone, it was 47.1 per cent. Can we just let that sink in for a moment. That is almost 50 per cent of criminal cases listed in a South Australian District Court on that single day. I do not know at what point this became just another weekday. In the space of a little over a month, that is 236 alleged victim survivors—236 lives that have been changed forever due to the cowardly and unforgiveable actions of another and 236 childhoods that have been ripped away. This is in just one month.

We know that one in three girls and one in five boys are sexually assaulted by the time they turn 18. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse found that survivors of sexual assault take on average 24 years to tell someone what has happened to them. Some may never come forward and report these crimes. Naturally, that means that these numbers we are talking about here are but a fraction of what it actually looks like in the community. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare:

…while child sexual abuse can be perpetrated by anyone, most child sexual abuse is perpetrated by someone known to the child or young person, including other children and young people and family members.

They say that with the:

…increased availability and ease of access to the internet, online forms of child sexual abuse are an increasing risk for children.

For that reason, it is pertinent that the Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence address the concerning prevalence of child sexual assaults within South Australia where they are committed within the confines of the family environment.

This royal commission was called for by the opposition and members of the crossbench following tragic deaths within the community. It is reported that on average in Australia a woman is killed by an intimate partner every 10 days, while one in three women has experienced physical violence by the age of 15.

Of course, this is one aspect of family and domestic violence, but another heartbreaking aspect is the child sexual assault of children by those who are meant to protect them and those are meant to keep them safe. It is so crucial that they are given a voice in this royal commission. It is vital that the government look for ways to tackle these shockingly high statistics that we are seeing listed in the District Court.

Whilst this royal commission provides an opportunity for victim survivors to have their voices heard and instil a hope that children in the future will not have to endure such abuse, the ball is squarely in the government's court in what it chooses to do with those recommendations when they are handed down. A final report of course is not due until 1 July 2025.

As I have previously said in this place, this is roughly around 19 months after the Hon. Tammy Franks, the Hon. Connie Bonaros and the Hon. Michelle Lensink stood in this place to call on this government to establish a royal commission. This is around 19 months where the community is left waiting, where the community is left with status quo.

Presumably and concerningly, if the budget is handed down and estimates are held at around the same time as this budget and estimates period is next year, this report would be handed down after budget and estimates processes, making it incredibly difficult for this government to enact recommendations that are handed down by the royal commission, and to secure the necessary funding before they go to an election in 2026.

The importance of action in this space cannot be understated. It is time to put a stop to these heinous crimes. It is time that we call it out and it is time that this government took decisive action to tackle child sexual assaults and exploitation.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. R.P. Wortley.