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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2016-05-17 Daily Xml
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Condolence

Briggs, Prof. Freda

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier) (16:02): By leave, I move:

That the House of Assembly expresses its deep regret at the death of Emeritus Professor Freda Briggs AO and places on record its appreciation of her long and meritorious service as an authority on child development and protection.

Like, I am sure, many in this chamber, I was saddened to hear of the sudden passing of Emeritus Professor Freda Briggs AO last month. She was an outstanding citizen of this state and nation, and throughout a lifetime of research, advocacy and activism she was a world-renowned expert on child protection and development. With seemingly limitless energy and a gift for plain speaking, she helped immeasurably to raise public awareness about this vital field of social policy.

She was adept at mastering theory and technical detail. At the same time, she was able to explain complex matters in straightforward terms and to understand the practical concerns that arise from policy implementation. Freda never had difficulty in speaking truth to power. She was certainly unafraid to critique or even excoriate governments at all levels and of all stripes, including my own, where she identified what she believed to be failure in competence or a lack of resolve.

As a result of her shining a light on a subject that historically had been too long in the shadows, she was a leading member of a movement that has profoundly changed attitudes and made this a safer world for young people. Born in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, on 1 December 1930, Freda grew up in a strict household and her early years cycled around family and the Methodist Church. She once wrote that her interest in social justice was fostered by the Methodists and that 'the church taught me to relate well to people who are disadvantaged and not to be judgemental'.

After leaving school early and taking a job as a clerk at a chemical plant, she decided to become a police officer after seeing a newspaper advertisement. 'It was the perfect solution,' she wrote in 2007, 'It offered free accommodation, free food, free uniform, £7 a week, and the opportunity to leave my overly restrictive home for adventure.' Within the police force, Freda became a specialist in child protection, and saw firsthand the challenging social circumstances in which many young people in London grew up.

After getting married, having children and becoming a foster carer with her husband, Ken, she completed year 12 by correspondence, studied teaching and started a second career in a very tough school in Chesterfield. It was there that her interest in child welfare deepened and she realised that teachers were the most important professionals in child protection because they were especially well-placed to spot the early signs of abuse.

Freda and her family moved to Australia in 1975. After a period at the State College of Victoria, she established, in Adelaide, the first university level, multiprofessional child protection course in the world. She helped establish similar courses internationally, and she worked closely with police forces both in Australia and New Zealand. She had a long association with the University of South Australia and its earlier incarnations, eventually rising to the position of Professor of Childhood Development. Freda was a truly lifelong champion of children, and she kept working well after many of us would have been happy to retire. Indeed, it is significant that she passed away very soon after returning from Zurich and Jakarta, where she had spoken and run workshops.

As far as formal recognition is concerned, the list of honours bestowed on her is long and impressive. They include the inaugural Australian Humanitarian Award in 1998, Senior Australian of the Year in 2000 (the first female recipient), and a Centenary Metal in 2001. On 13 June 2005, in the Queen's Birthday honours of that year, Freda was made an Officer of the Order of Australia; specifically, she was recognised for 'service to raising community and professional awareness of child abuse and neglect, and as an advocate for effective child-safety education programs'.

Professor Briggs' legacy is evident today in the numerous books and pieces of research she published during her career. We see it too in the field of teaching, including as part of South Australia's nationally recognised 'Keeping Safe' child protection curriculum. With determination, with fearlessness and sometimes with anger Freda Briggs brought to light the uncomfortable truth about the widespread and insidious nature of child abuse. She revealed that it was much more prevalent than previously thought, and she helped us understand that properly confronting and combating the problem required governments and society generally to take a more vigorous and systematic approach. She highlighted the fact that professionals working with or near children needed to be more worldly, alert and responsive to abuse.

It is extremely unfortunate that we in Australia have had to hold so many inquiries, including a royal commission nationally, one here in this state and, of course, the earlier Mullighan and Layton inquiries, to uncover and fully comprehend the things Freda Briggs had been talking about for decades. The incidents, details and implications of child abuse are so monstrous that they are difficult for many people to contemplate, but collectively we are no longer able to ignore or to diminish the importance of the matter. Indeed, collectively we can no longer say that we are surprised about these matters, as horrible as they are. We have no excuse now.

I hate the idea that decent citizens who have the best interests of children at heart now have to be thoroughly scrutinised and are occasionally viewed with suspicion. I hate the fact that when you see a fantastic youth worker who has an extraordinary relationship with children and with the parents, you have to ask yourself whether he is grooming those parents for his subsequent behaviour. It is sad that we have to have a regime of police checks in place and that certain professionals who come into contact children are now required to work only in pairs.

However, in light of what Freda Briggs and other experts have taught us, it is right and proper and necessary for us to do this. The truth is that where there is vulnerability there are predators, and we have to be vigilant. As a community we have to be scrupulous in the measures we put in place. We must do everything possible to protect, support and nurture children. In 2016, child abuse still occurs and it is highly unlikely ever to completely disappear. However, this is a safer and better world than it would otherwise have been for children as a result of the courage, compassion and honesty of this dedicated and pioneering woman, Freda Briggs.

On behalf of the government of South Australia, I wish to extend my condolences to the entire Briggs family, especially to Freda's son, Alister; her brother, Gwyn; her four grandchildren; and those who have travelled a great distance to be here. I look forward to honouring Freda Briggs' contribution to our community in a public way at a later time.

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (16:10): I rise today to speak on the sad passing of the champion of children, Emeritus Professor Freda Briggs AO. Professor Briggs was an internationally renowned child protection expert. She was a national treasure, and the people of South Australia were exceedingly lucky to count her as one of our own for so long.

Professor Briggs was born Freda Akeroyd in the market town of Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England, in 1930. The daughter of a railway clerk named Horace and wife, Hilda, Freda was encouraged to embrace education and books from a young age. She once told an interviewer that books were so treasured by her parents that she always had to wash her hands before she was allowed to read them. She grew up in the Great Depression and lived through World War II, which taught her the value of thrift, hard work and community.

After a short-lived career as an office clerk, Professor Briggs left Huddersfield to join the London Metropolitan Police where she worked in the child protection field. This new job would shape the rest of her life and led her to her greatest passion, child protection. In 1952, she married Ken, a craft bookbinder from the British Museum whom she had met at Sunday school. Their wedding photo appeared on the front page of the evening newspaper with the headline 'Policewoman marries museum man'. They would go on to become foster carers and have two children of their own.

Professor Briggs subsequently undertook teacher training at Warwick University and embarked on an academic career. As a lecturer, she trained educators to identify children who were victims of abuse or neglect. In 1975, she emigrated to Melbourne to take up a pioneering position as Director of Early Childhood Studies at the State College of Victoria. In 1980, she established the first university level multiprofessional child protection course in the world. Everyone told her she was wasting her time because child abuse did not happen in Australia or, if it did, it only happened in Sydney.

Five years later, Professor Briggs moved to Adelaide and was appointed Dean of the Institute of Early Childhood and Family Studies. She continued to provide advice on child protection to institutions around Australia and internationally from her home here in Adelaide. Professor Briggs was tireless in her pursuit to ensure that all children were safe and protected in Australia. Professor Briggs campaigned against teaching 'stranger danger' to children, noting that most children were abused by people they knew. She also highlighted that most children do not know what a stranger is, believing that strangers are mostly men in cars wearing masks rather than people who might appear friendly or kind.

She wrote about the importance of teaching children in school about what constitutes abuse and how to report it and that teachers needed to be specially trained in educating children about these dangers. She believed it was not enough to leave it up to parents who were still telling the same 'stranger danger' stories she had been taught back in the 1930s. This work made her a target, with some people accusing her of creating a child protection industry. She was criticised in the media, the parliament and by other academics. She received threats to her safety and her life and was the target of a number of disturbing letter writing campaigns. However, nothing would stop her from the work that she was doing because she knew that she was right.

Professor Briggs provided Australia with a mirror. She asked us to look at ourselves and question: are we happy to live in a country where child abuse is swept under the rug? The answer, of course, was no. When asked in recent years how she continued to work with such passion and dedication, she said:

My energy probably comes from anger. I get very angry with the way that people, governments and courts treat children. It makes me angry that governments can waste millions of dollars advertising their own policies while departments fail to investigate child abuse cases because they do not have sufficient resources.

Professor Briggs earned many awards and accolades during her career. In 2000, she was the first woman to be named Senior Australian of the Year for her work in child protection education. In 2004, the Prime Minister of Australia (Hon. John Howard) recognised her work by awarding a $10 million endowment for the provision of the national child protection research centre at the University of South Australia.

In 2005, she was appointed Foundation Chair of Child Development and Emeritus Professor lecturing in sociology, child protection and family studies at the University of South Australia. Professor Briggs was also awarded the Australian Humanitarian Award and a national Centenary Medal and became an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2005. Professor Briggs was the recipient of an ANZAC Fellowship, the Jean Denton Memorial Scholarship and the Creswick Fellowship.

In 2009, Professor Briggs received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from the University of Sheffield for outstanding research publications and contributions to education relating to child abuse and child protection. Professor Briggs provided assistance to royal commissions and parliamentary inquiries and wrote numerous submissions to state and federal inquiries relating to child protection, including the Mullighan inquiry and the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. She advised police forces in Australia and New Zealand and was a media consultant on child protection issues relating to TV, movies and computer games.

Professor Briggs was a patron of the Adelaide Women's and Children's Hospital paediatric palliative care project and a South Australian ambassador to the Prime Minister's department on the recognition of women. Only a month before she died, Professor Briggs wrote a submission to a federal Senate inquiry into the harm caused to children by online pornography.

Professor Briggs also campaigned successfully against mandatory retirement, ensuring that the contributions of many South Australians are properly valued. In 1995, the same year that she published four books and was appointed Associate Professor, she received a letter saying, 'We note that you will be 65 in December. We will require your resignation.' Despite support from the Dean of the University, she was forced to take part-time contracts to get around the federal law, which was then abolished within the year.

However, Professor Freda Briggs would never truly retire. She worked up until the end of her life, dying suddenly whilst returning from a conference overseas. She once lamented all the people who questioned why she did not retire and said:

While constant cries for help delay retirement, I like to escape when I can. During my time off I do crazy things like climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge and parasailing. When I was Senior Australian of the Year, I met a wonderful 91-year-old who had been abseiling in the Blue Mountains. She said, 'If I kill myself falling down a blue mountain, it's better than dying in a nursing home.' I have adopted that as my philosophy.

I believe that Professor Briggs died doing what she loved, which was campaigning for the protection of children. She was a national hero and, on behalf of the entire Liberal Party of South Australia, I extend my sincere condolences and those of our party to her family and to the countless families she has helped. Vale, Freda Briggs.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

The Hon. J.R. RAU (Enfield—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Justice Reform, Minister for Planning, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Child Protection Reform, Minister for the Public Sector, Minister for Consumer and Business Services, Minister for the City of Adelaide) (16:18): I would also like to say a few words in relation to this condolence motion. In doing so, I know that my ministerial colleague the Hon. Susan Close, who is unfortunately not well today, would also have wished to have participated in saying a few words, so perhaps I speak on her behalf as well.

Professor Briggs obviously dedicated her life to the protection of vulnerable children and education about the devastating effects of child abuse for individuals in our community. She shone a light on issues which were often very difficult to face but which, ultimately, led to better awareness and greater protection for our children.

As members would be aware, we are presently involved in a process where we have a royal commission presided over by former Justice Nyland looking into yet another example of terrible treatment of children, this time in particular by a worker employed by the state to look after them. I have to say, on behalf of Susan and me, that the process of following this royal commission and all that it has thrown up has been an eye-opener and a profoundly moving experience. It is the sort of thing that you would hope, in a society like ours, none of us would ever have to be thinking about but, unfortunately, that is not the case.

There are so many issues around protection of children that have come to my attention and to Susan's attention over the last two years, and no doubt will be focusing the attention of this parliament once Commissioner Nyland makes her report in August of this year. I feel confident that all of the members of the parliament, irrespective of their political affiliations, regard these issues as being extremely important and issues that transcend party politics.

These issues invariably discomfit governments. Unfortunately, there are some times when it is necessary for governments to be discomfited because there are things that need to be done. We have done many things in the past, from the Mullighan inquiry through to other bits of work, but this is work that never ends. We have to continue trying to incrementally improve the position, and will hopefully significantly improve the position when the royal commission report comes out later this year.

I think it is fair to say that the royal commission and its outcomes, in part at least, will be seen by many if not most people as an epitaph to the work of Freda Briggs. On my own behalf, and on behalf of minister Close who, as I said, is not well today and unable to be here, I wish to place on the record my acknowledgement of her great work. I would like to pass on to her family, aside from condolences, would be that you can be assured that her work will continue because, having started this issue in the public mind, it is not an issue that is going to go away, it is not an issue that can be ignored, and it is not an issue that will be ignored.

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (16:21): It is fitting that this motion is before the house and that we recognise Emeritus Professor Freda Briggs AO on the sad occasion of her passing. Can I say that, whilst our leader and of course the Premier have made a contribution as to the historical work of Freda Briggs both in Britain and here, I had occasion personally to meet with her in the mid-1980s, fresh out of criminal courts, at a time when the legal profession, the psychiatry world and the police department were all at their complete wits' end as to how they were going to deal with what appeared to be an explosion of reporting of alleged child sexual abuse in South Australia.

It was only in South Australia, and some inquiry was made at the time as to why there were so many cases, some resulting in prosecution of alleged offenders and many, of course, resulting in families breaking up and, almost inevitably, children being separated from one or both parents. It was a highly destructive time.

I have often reflected on why that occurred here, and I think the principal reason is that a number of our esteemed members of the medical profession and psychiatry world went to England in the early 1980s and learned, particularly at places such as the children's hospital at Great Ormond Street, that there had been a pattern of indicia of behaviour that was developing and a sufficient body of evidence created to support the assertion that, when presented, could correspond to a child being a victim of child sexual abuse. It was being studied, it was being listened to and it was being acted on.

So, because of a number of these pioneering, mostly female, professionals who came back to South Australia and were practising in South Australia, there was a high level of alertness, awareness and commitment to deal with this pressing issue. At the time, a number of us were challenged about how we would be dealing with the social consequences of allegations, but there were also very forensic concerns, namely, how we protect children from being contaminated in the interview process so that they would not inadvertently cause a successful prosecution to fail where it should have proceeded and been successful and also to ensure that agencies such as the South Australian police department, again, were not inadvertently, perhaps through inexperience and lack of training, effectively sabotaging what should have been successful resolution.

These cases are rarely just resolved by a criminal prosecution. Sometimes it is immediate and sometimes it is necessary, but inevitably, as I say, you have a fractured family and a child who is at the centre of it and usually the greatest victim of all the consequences that flow. So, there was this explosion, there was the determination of a number of people to remedy it, and Professor Freda Briggs (Mrs Freda Briggs in those days) came on the scene. She had police experience in Britain, and she came at a very important time to help us work our way through that.

I can remember having conversations with her at times when she was either a witness for me or when I was cross-examining her when she was a witness for somebody else. The important thing that she conveyed was that children have to be listened to, children have to be believed. There is a problem, it does need to be addressed, and, from her perspective, it certainly could not be ignored.

We both often discussed the question of what would arise if there was a too frequent reporting of alleged child abuse to the extent that nobody would then act on it. It was a 'crying wolf' syndrome, where everybody was going to jump on the bandwagon, where every child who was presented at a childcare centre who wet their pants during morning sleep time was identified as a child who might be the subject of child sexual abuse, and some of them no doubt were.

There had to be some very quick work done to identify the reliable indicia that combined would enable intervention and action and for the authorities to take action. She was at the forefront of that. She was criticised at times for her recommendations, but she never wavered in her determination to continue to be an advocate for children principally in the area of child sexual abuse, but there were a number of other areas of abusive circumstances that she wrote about, reported on, gave evidence on, and where she tried to assist families, in particular children, to have their lives restored.

I thank her for that commitment. In the time that I have known her it was over 30 years worth, but clearly in her 85 years she made a very substantial contribution in other countries, and we thank her very much for that work. I convey to her family my personal appreciation for her professional contribution and her personal commitment to that.

The Hon. Z.L. BETTISON (Ramsay—Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion, Minister for Social Housing, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers) (16:28): I too would like to express my condolences to the family and friends of Professor Freda Briggs AO. Freda made a remarkable contribution to generations of children and their families, not just in South Australia but worldwide.

She was in many ways a woman ahead of her time. She was a police officer in the Metropolitan Police in London in the 1950s, when many women were still confined to the domestic realm. She was an academic, a researcher, an advocate whose voice would not be dismissed. As we have heard, as a police officer in London in those early days, her interactions with vulnerable children and their families set the foundation for Freda's lifework advocating for children's safety and protection.

Studying teaching at Warwick University, Freda learned about child protection and began her lifelong campaign to educate others about the importance of this issue. She recognised education as the key to empowering children to keep themselves safe and for adults to build safe environments for children. In an era when the prevailing view was that children should be seen and not heard, Freda was already advocating for their protection and wellbeing and giving them a voice. She also redefined ageing, refusing to step back from her work or even slow down right until the end. She continued working into her 80s with a vigour that would put people half her age to shame.

When Freda came to Adelaide in 1980 to become Dean of the Institute of Early Childhood and Family Studies, she began developing her pioneering child protection course. She went on to establish child protection courses based on that early model in countries as far and wide as the United States, Germany and Brazil. Freda had an enormous impact on the way Australians and people around the world looked at child protection.

She was committed to advocating for vulnerable children and giving them a voice in circles to which they would never have access. She was instrumental in changing the community's perception of who perpetrates child abuse. She shifted attention from the concept of 'stranger danger' and turned our focus inward to recognise and acknowledge that abuse was, more often than not, perpetrated by the very people children trust and rely upon.

Freda consistently and continually advocated for a professional child protection system to address the harm caused to children in their family homes. She also helped create the foundation for the establishment of 'child safe environments' in organisations providing services to children. Freda Briggs was the preeminent voice on child protection, and we were fortunate to have her here living among us, teaching and guiding us and keeping the welfare of children front and centre.

Countless child protection workers, academics, educators and public policy-makers and, of course, the legal profession (as the deputy leader mentioned) have been influenced by Freda's extensive body of work across her career. I understand that the Minister for Education and Child Development regularly met with Freda to discuss child protection and child development matters and to seek her input on current matters in these areas. Freda also provided similar counsel to previous ministers and advisers in this portfolio area.

Freda simply never gave up trying to make the world a safer and a better place for children. Though she is no longer with us, Freda's legacy, her research, books, curriculum and ideas will continue to influence and shape our approach to child protection. I thank her for her great work that will continue to live on here in South Australia and throughout the world.

Ms SANDERSON (Adelaide) (16:32): I rise to support the condolence motion moved by the Premier to acknowledge the work and contribution of Professor Freda Briggs AO. I would like to start by reading into Hansard a note from Ian Henschke, a close friend and admirer of Freda:

Freda Briggs left the world a better place than she found it. But it was a long process and one she never gave up on. Born in Yorkshire in 1930, her childhood was spent during the Depression and World War 2. In 1945 she left school and got a job at Industrial Chemical Industries. In her own words 'I made history when, at 15, I reported the chief engineer of ICI for sexual harassment.' Management acted and moved the engineer elsewhere.

It was a powerful sign of things to come. She wanted to make society safer for children, scarier for paedophiles and uncomfortable for people who cover up, play down or pass over the damage caused by child abuse. She joined the Police Force in London after her stint at ICI and specialised in child protection. She completed year 12 by correspondence and became a teacher realising quickly it was the crucial profession in child protection 'because victims over the age of four are usually in school and give signs of abuse that informed teachers can recognise'.

Freda then became an academic, educating teachers and others involved in child welfare. She also wrote twenty books during her long career. Forty years ago when she was invited [to Australia]…with her pioneering knowledge she found a country that thought telling children about stranger danger was the answer. Freda knew the stranger was the least of our worries. She knew how paedophiles groomed their victims. It could be, as we soon learned, the family friend, coach, children's entertainer, priest, magistrate [or even a police officer].

I was shocked when I heard Freda had collapsed on a plane returning from yet another speaking engagement earlier this month. This one had been in Jakarta talking to the people who run international schools. After her plane landed she was taken to the [Royal Adelaide Hospital] where she later died surrounded by her family and close friends. I knew she was in her mid 80s but I didn't think of her as old. She seemed invincible. Her eyes shone when she spoke and she spoke with eloquence and passion.

She will be remembered as fearless Freda. She gave a voice to the voiceless. She told it how it was. In 2003 she conducted an inquiry with an eminent QC into the way the Governor General Peter Hollingworth had handled child abuse in the Anglican Church when he was an Archbishop…

When Freda Briggs was named in the Advertiser this year as one of the 100 most influential women in South Australia's history I wasn't surprised…Freda Briggs fought to change the law so victims can now prosecute historic child abuse cases. She also oversaw the updating of the child protection policy at schools and the training of those who work with children. Freda is no longer with us but her good work will always be there. And if there's a heaven I'm sure she'll be having a good chat about 'Spotlight' winning the Oscar with Mary McKillop and about the way things have changed and the way some things never do.

That was from Ian Henschke.

I first met Professor Freda Briggs AO just after the 2014 election when I was helping the Hon. Stephen Wade in the other place on some foster care and child protection issues prior to my becoming the shadow minister for families and child protection. I stayed on long after Stephen had left, spending several hours feeling like a sponge taking in every word Freda spoke. She was passionate, knowledgeable, and generous of her time. I left with copious notes and a thirst for knowledge on how I could improve the lives of the many, many children in our state who suffer neglect and/or abuse, mostly at the hands of those they trust to nurture and protect them.

I recently received an email from Dr Pamela Schulz OAM, who was here in the chamber with us today. It states, 'Just to let you know that [Freda] had three wishes which I hope the [South Australian] Parliament could promote into the future of her great legacy.' So that they will be forevermore in Hansard:

1. A Protocol standard (gold standard level) so that investigative officers social workers teachers and others know how to interview vulnerable children and their families and that they will be believed.

2. A Child Protection Review Council for cases bogged down through indecision or ongoing or even cold cases needing review…to be convened by the State Government authorities 6 or so times per year to ensure the ongoing best practice is considered in regard to Child Protection matters and that Chloe Valentine's death will not be in vain.

3. Embedded in all University courses a significant input into Child Protection identification and intervention for teachers, lawyers working as ICL (Independent Children's Lawyers in courts [currently] do not require knowledge or training in Child Protection), and especially social workers.

Over the last two years, I had many meetings, many conversations and numerous emails at various times of the day or night from Freda. Freda would often point out what was not working in child protection in our state and what needed to be done. She advocated for many children, foster carers, and anyone who had misgivings about our current system.

My last conversation with Freda Briggs followed a radio interview, when we were both interviewed, along with the Minister for Child Protection. Freda stated on the radio that Families SA was dysfunctional and that it would never be fixed. I called Freda immediately afterwards to tell her that, while I knew fixing Families SA would not be easy and that Labor had failed in their 14 years to improve the department, I told her in no uncertain terms that if it were ever possible to be changed only a Liberal government could change it and that I would do everything I could to make sure that happened.

I do not have the knowledge and the experience that Freda had, but I am in a position to facilitate change and I have the determination, tenacity, and the belief that it can be done. I promise you, Freda, that I will do all that I can to protect the children of our state both in your honour and because it must be done. Rest in peace, Freda, in the knowledge that your work may not be finished yet but that it will be continued. My condolences go to your son, Alister, and your four grandchildren. Heaven has another angel. Vale, Freda.

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (16:39): Freda Briggs's immense contribution is legend, and I acknowledge all the biographical information and list of awards that have already been placed on the record here today. I did not know Freda well though, like nearly everybody here, I definitely knew her and respected all she had achieved. She had many friends, some of whom I have approached for some information and others of whom, through my dear friend at UniSA, Deirdre Tedmanson, have kindly given me some thoughts on Freda that I would like to add to the record today.

Dr Pamela Schulz OAM is an adjunct senior research fellow at the School of Communication, International Studies and Languages at UniSA. Pamela told me it was an honour to know Freda and something she had valued for 30 years, 25 of which saw them as academic colleagues who became long-lasting friends. During this time, Freda was nothing but supportive and committed to women, in particular, that they had an opportunity to be heard.

Pamela and Freda often reminisced about how tough it was being 'a council house kid from Huddersfield in Yorkshire', a place where women's rights were hard-wired through a long-established tradition for the fight for suffrage and where women railed against another tradition of the time, that girls should have little jobs until they married. Together they mentored people who went back to study as mature-age students. As Freda always said, 'You are never too old and it's never too late to learn a new skill, to get an education and to make a difference.'

I hear from Pamela, who is here today, that one of their great shared joys was a Friday night gathering of women friends and colleagues, members of the gin and tonic club, where talk was about how they could and would make the world a better place. I am told Freda often said, 'There's nothing that can't be solved with a discussion over a gin and tonic.' Pamela remarked on Freda's life work and fierce determination to protect children, what she called the most precious part of our society and our future, for without them being in a safe place there is no future at all.

Another friend, Professor Fiona Arney, who is the director of the Australian Centre for Child Protection at UniSA, remembers Freda as fearless in challenging injustice related to children's rights and children's safety. She changed the lives of thousands through her individual work with victims and survivors, as an educator of the next generation of practitioners and researchers and in her role as an expert and advocate in policy and system reform.

This advocacy for and representation of victims and survivors has changed child protection systems across the world. Freda highlighted the importance of listening to children, believing them and understanding how their behaviour reflects their experience. She was dedicated to enhancing the research and evidence base in child protection and in ensuring that what we do know is translated into practice and policy for future generations. Her foresight and advocacy in this regard led to the creation of the Australian Centre for Child Protection based at UniSA.

Another esteemed colleague, Dr Elspeth McInnes AM, a graduate research coordinator at the University of South Australia's School of Education, says Freda never spared herself in her mission to protect children and was always open to parents and children in distress who sought help. Freda's police training stood her in good stead when questioning victims, perpetrators, protective parents and professionals working with children. She would go straight to the heart of the matter and ask direct questions.

Freda raised the ire of numerous family law system professionals because she told the truth, and she was canny enough with the law to ensure she could not be targeted by them, although many tried. One of her key messages was the lack of knowledge of child development, trauma and abuse, and abuse dynamics, amongst people who make decisions about children's lives. She was most concerned also that people were too quick to discount, minimise and deny what children had to say about their circumstances.

Freda knew from her research that children with disabilities were particularly vulnerable to abuse. She knew that children were easily tricked by offenders and needed practice in skills to keep themselves safe, and she was tireless in her work to educate people about child abuse. I also spoke to a mutual friend, Dr Marie O'Neill AM, a clinical and child psychology and forensic psychology practitioner, who I also believe is here today. It was through her work that Marie knew Freda in a professional capacity in another area.

She would like to add to the record that during the eighties and nineties Freda became intensely interested in the need to bring child sexual abuse and incest to notice, and she embarked upon and expanded research that would enlighten authorities both in Australia and overseas on relevant factual information about sexual abuse. This related to both adults and children. There had been a rapid increase in reports of child sexual abuse and there was an urgent need for the development of personal safety curricula for young children.

By 2003, Freda had produced more than 10 books and multiple reports and had become well known as a public speaker, being used by the media as a high profile expert in the area. At the time of her death, she had produced 20 books on early childhood education and sexual abuse of children and adults. She had worked intensively with the federal and state police and was fearless in her pursuit of knowledge in the area of sexual abuse and in efforts to bring to justice those preying on children.

Freda was a mother, a grandmother, a humanitarian, an author, a teacher and a talented, tireless supporter of the underprivileged and abused. The loss to the community is most significant and difficult to gauge. Freda is widely admired and her enormous contribution will be remembered by all. Her legacy is the people who now continue in her field. I offer my condolences to her family and legion of friends and colleagues who carry on the work for a better world for which Freda always strived, something that we here too must use our power and influence to achieve.

Mr PISONI (Unley) (16:45): I too wish to share condolences for Professor Freda Briggs and support the Premier's motion, supported by the Leader of the Opposition. I first met Freda when I was first appointed as the shadow minister for education and early childhood development, I think it was about 2008, when she was still living in Magill. My memories of that time are of how generous she was with her time and how committed she was to her life's work. I think that, from that very first meeting, there is no doubt that virtually all my education, my guidance and my advice on child protection in particular came from either Freda firsthand, someone Freda had worked with, someone Freda knew or something that Freda had read or was aware of.

Many of you would know that when you are in opposition you are very scantily resourced, so you are very pleased when somebody is prepared to work with you in an area that you are working on. When I had that role in the families portfolio, a number of cases were sent to me by email, by letter and through people coming in the door, and I have to say that, for the uninitiated, it takes a while to develop an understanding of just how broad and complex family problems can be in our community in South Australia.

One of the things that stood out about Freda and her work was how practical she was. Yes, she was very well admired and formally educated in those areas, but she had a very practical view as to the way things should be dealt with. I remember her continued frustration with people suggesting that children had to be a certain age in order to be believed when they made allegations of sexual abuse. It was from her that I learned about learnt behaviour.

I remember dealing with a matter with the member for Hammond not long after I was appointed in the role, where a five-year-old child at a school in Murray Bridge was behaving in a very sexualised manner. It was Freda who explained to me that kids do not make that up: they learn that and they have witnessed that. That then kicked me into action to want to do something about that child who was exposed to that situation; and not only the situation that child was exposed to but also what that child was exposing to other children at the school, and of course that is where the complaint came from.

After learning that, it surprised me that the complaint had to get to me before anything was done about it. Teachers would have been witnessing that same behaviour that those children and their parents were witnessing. I thank Freda very much for spending the time with me and helping me understand why what those parents had seen and what those children were experiencing was wrong.

That is just one occasion; there were many others when Freda would take a phone call from me or would return a call, and she would be frank and direct with her advice. She was also very concerned at the fact that when children were interviewed by police, on many occasions those police were not trained to understand how to interview a child who had made allegations of sexual assault, to get to the truth. As she said, children do not make this stuff up; she was very passionate about that.

I think we are so much more aware of the risks to children because of the work of Freda Briggs and her passion, and it should be said that the Australian Centre for Child Protection was established here in Adelaide because of the advocacy and work of Freda Briggs. I remember her telling me, and being very proud of the fact, that John Howard provided $10 million to the University of South Australia to establish that centre on her advice. It was extraordinary, the amount of credibility that woman had in her life, amongst decision-makers.

I thank Freda for her public service, for her protection of children, for being interested in helping all those, regardless of their qualification, who want to make a difference when it comes to protecting children, helping them to achieve that goal. Vale, Freda Briggs.

Ms COOK (Fisher) (16:51): I rise to contribute to the condolence motion for the late Professor Freda Briggs, author, academic, child protection advocate and definitely a champion for children. I also acknowledge the biography that has been presented in front of the house today with a great deal of respect.

She was a mentor and a leader without peer in her field, and I had the privilege of sitting in on several of her wonderful speeches, as well as the absolute pleasure, more recently, of being able to sit with her and quietly pontificate about our shared experiences around foster care and how we could change the world, one child at a time, in a very real way. I find it quite incredible to think that the last time I spoke with her she was 85. She was such a vibrant and wise woman I had no idea she was in her 80s. I had a great deal of respect for her.

Professor Briggs was highly respected across South Australia, and I shared many conversations with people working in education about her leadership and energy in the field of child protection, not only here but across the nation and internationally. Her tireless commitment to the protection of children and young people was incredible.

For more than 20 years Professor Briggs had a close collaborative working relationship with our education department, now the Department for Education and Child Development. She was influential in the development, evaluation and review of the 'Keeping Safe' child protection curriculum that is mandated in all South Australian public and Catholic schools as well as in preschools. It is also taught in other states of Australia. It is a wonderful legacy, and it grows in its reputation overseas as well, including being taught in Indonesia where, as we know, Professor Briggs most recently visited prior to her passing.

She was definitely unafraid to ask the hard questions of governments and institutions and spoke her mind as she saw it. In doing so she spoke up for so many of the children, the thousands of vulnerable children, who did not have a voice of their own. She was a definite champion of children's rights to her very end, and her loss will be felt by many who were touched by her deep intelligence, her sharp wit and her unwavering devotion to demanding more be done to prevent child abuse.

I share her love for changing the world over a gin and tonic. Whilst her loss will leave an enormous hole, her legacy stands tall and will remain ongoing in her more than 20 publications and, importantly, in the state's child protection curriculum, which is making a very real difference in the lives of our children. As a parent, I can attest to that.

In all of the legislation and other policy impacts that continue to be touched by her work, we will remember her. Professor Briggs, I salute your work and send my condolences to your friends and your family and also to your many colleagues who are not here today. Vale, Professor Freda Briggs.

Ms DIGANCE (Elder) (16:55): Today, I rise to pay tribute to the remarkable Professor Freda Briggs AO. My condolences go to all her family and friends, some of whom are here today, to Alister, Gwyn and Freda's grandchildren. While I understand you must be saddened at Freda's passing, you must also be very proud of who she was and what she achieved, and you will all have so many great memories to hold dear.

Freda stands tall amongst us for all she did for child protection and in recognising that every child matters and every child counts. She gave a voice to children, our youngest and most vulnerable and voiceless members of our community. She advocated on behalf of their rights and needs and spoke truths on their behalf in recognition of their worth and importance and their need to be protected.

She never backed away or backed down on what she knew to be right. While we are saddened by the loss of Freda, I can imagine her keenly encouraging us to both celebrate her life's journey and achievements and continue to champion the work she deeply believed in and dedicated her life to. Her 85 years were rich, diverse, challenging and most of all a story of achievements. She undeniably left her mark and will be greatly missed both personally and professionally.

She was a remarkable person—dynamic, passionate and always driven by endless energy and enthusiasm—and at the epicentre of her drive was her focus to advance child protection and education. I was very privileged on a number of occasions to share in Freda's company and engage in lively conversations and debate—moments I will always be grateful for.

At this point I wish to make mention of my friend Dr Pamela Schultz OAM who is in the gallery today and I am pleased to say not only is she one of my good friends but I know she was one of Freda's dearest and greatest friends. When I asked Pamela to describe Freda she said, 'She was an amazing woman and a close mate for over 30 years.' Pamela went on to describe Freda as fierce and courageous, determined, tenacious with a fierce intellect, a brilliant analyst, a friend and mentor, and a champion for children as our best investment.

Freda inspired, instigated and ensured that children were the first priority in child protection and to this end she championed legislation, protocols, curricula and training at which she worked vigorously. Freda's story does not begin as one of privilege, as she was raised in a poor household during the Great Depression, living in an industrial town in Yorkshire. Freda had recounted her upbringing giving credit to her mother's skill in managing and stretching the family budget by growing veggies, keeping chooks, preserving eggs, making jam, bottling fruit, salting beans, knitting, and making clothes—very tenacious.

Freda was exposed to child protection when she joined the London police force after seeing an ad in the local paper seeking female police recruits, and the offer of free accommodation and food was, Freda admitted, an enticement to her. It was apparent that this experience with the police force began to fuel her passionate career, and for that we are all grateful. She worked as a teacher and social worker, she completed a graduate degree in education and postgraduate qualifications in psychology and sociology, and became a lecturer in child development.

As Dean of the Institute of Early Childhood and Family Studies here in Adelaide from 1980, Freda began a world first multiprofessional course in child protection, also helping universities in the United States, Hamburg and Brazil to create similar courses. Freda was honoured countless times for her work as a researcher, an educator and a champion and protector of all children, but especially vulnerable children, and was described on more than one occasion as an inspiration.

In her 70s, she was acknowledged as Emeritus Professor at the University of South Australia and her extensive list of achievements includes publishing more than a book a year since the age of 60. Incredible! Our state—indeed, our nation—has lost a powerful, honest, dedicated advocate on the rights of the child. She will be profoundly missed and always remembered. Vale, Professor Freda Briggs AO.

Motion carried by members standing in their places in silence.

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