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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2008-10-30 Daily Xml
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FAMILIES SA STAFF

The Hon. I.F. EVANS (Davenport) (14:44): My question is for the Minister for Families and Communities. Why are Families SA staff having to take industrial action to secure more funding to address the child protection crisis? A delegation of social workers has warned the minister that children are in danger of dying because of a dysfunctional child protection system. Industrial action taken includes work-to-rule and not providing ministerial executive briefings. Members of the PSA in their latest journal state that they were—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. I.F. EVANS: —'bewildered that the department spends more time, energy and money on administrative functions and accountability than it does on the core function of caring for and protecting South Australian children'.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE (Wright—Minister for Families and Communities, Minister for Northern Suburbs, Minister for Housing, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Disability) (14:45): Let me outline what the state government is doing to protect children here in South Australia—and they are issues that I outlined in my meeting most recently with the PSA and its job delegates.

The Hon. I.F. Evans: They went on strike after.

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: They have not gone on strike. I think the member needs to rephrase that. They have not gone on strike at all.

Mrs Redmond: They have announced that they are going to.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: No, they have not announced that either. So, you have got it wrong. Both the chief executive and I have met with the PSA and its delegates, and we have addressed a number of their concerns. This government has committed $190 million over the next four years for child protection here in South Australia. We have committed to better supports for foster carers and relative carers. We have committed funds to reform the carer payment system, and we have significantly increased foster care payments; I think they have been nearly doubled.

We have committed $28 million for intensive family support services so that we stop families going into crisis. We have committed $124 million to improve support services for children in care and $17.6 million to respond to the increasing demands of child protection. Quite frankly, we are doing a whole lot more for child protection than was ever done when those people were in government.

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