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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
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Motions

Children in State Care Apology

Ms STINSON (Badcoe) (10:57): I move:

That this house—

(a) recognises that 17 June 2018 was the 10th anniversary of the formal apology offered by the government of South Australia to children abused in state care;

(b) notes the fundamental importance of the apology to those people who were abused while in the care of the state;

(c) acknowledges the tireless work and dedication of the late Hon. Ted Mullighan QC as commissioner and the staff of the Children in State Care Commission of Inquiry;

(d) acknowledges the ongoing work of staff in the Department for Child Protection and non-government organisations to support victims of abuse crimes;

(e) acknowledges the work of the police, DPP and wider justice system who work to achieve justice for victims and hold perpetrators to account; and

(f) reiterates the apology made by the then premier, Hon. Mike Rann, to those who were abused in state care.

I would like to start by acknowledging the presence in this house of former wards of the state. It is for them that this motion is being moved. It is to them that we said sorry 10 years ago, and it is to them that we reaffirm that apology here today. It is on their behalf that we extend thanks to those who have dedicated their working lives and their volunteer hours to addressing the wrongs committed against children in state care. It is on their behalf that we recognise the work of Ted Mullighan and his staff, and it is to them and their families that we pledge afresh our commitment to do what we can to prevent further crimes against children.

For most of us, our childhoods were spent with our parents and siblings and extended families. We shared meals together, filled our hours in each other's company, and grew up in warm, loving and safe homes. Most of us grew up never questioning if we were loved or safe. It is not really a thought that would have even passed our young minds; it is something that we took for granted.

We never realised the security, the self-confidence and the sense of aspiration that we were gifted by virtue of growing up in such families. While all families have ups and downs, and as children grow up their relationships with their parents grow in complexity, most of us made it to adulthood without having to worry about the basics: being fed, being clothed, being housed or being kept safe from harm. Most of us went to sleep at night knowing that there was a bright day to welcome us, filled with possibilities.

However, all of us in this place now know that not everyone is so fortunate. It is easy to explain away the lives of people abused as children in care as eventuating because of poverty, drug or alcohol abuse, mental illness, socio-economics, poor parenting models and sometimes interventions by the state, especially for Aboriginal people. It is easy to think that it never would have happened to us, that our lives were a world away and so different and that our parents made better choices or were better parents, but that is simply not true.

All that stands between many of us here who did get to experience stable, secure and loving homes and those who did not is luck: the luck of being born into a family with fewer challenges to overcome or maybe the luck of being better equipped to deal with those challenges when they arrive. It is easy to see children in care as 'the other', particularly those who have endured abuse, and to see care leavers as different from everyone else, but there is no difference at the start. Luck and circumstances conspired against these people when they were too little to help themselves and directed their lives in ways most of us cannot understand and will never understand.

Most of us here have not experienced what you have, or at least not in state care. We can only imagine the absence of hope, the feeling of being alone, the pressure of uncertainty, the weight of responsibility, the feelings of guilt and confusion and the belief that nothing is going to get better. We can only imagine the sexual and physical pain and torment that many of you have endured. We can only imagine the emotional and mental scars left on you and your confidence and your belief in the goodness of humans. We can only imagine the detriment that has been caused to your life, your relationships and your prospects—the lost and altered futures.

Although the state does and should provide support and services to you, and admittedly sometimes fails in that, we also know that the best medical help, counselling, justice services and support in the world cannot turn back time. To care leavers, I say that we do not pretend to know what it was like for you—we cannot—but we can listen to you, we can learn from you and we can keep your stories in our hearts as we put our minds to the task of reducing and ultimately eliminating crimes against children. That is all we can do and what we should do. It may seem like a small thing but it is very powerful. It is the power to create change.

Although politicians get a bad rap—and sometimes they deserve it—I am yet to meet one who has not put up their hand to enter this place with the aim to make a difference. It is important for each of us here to remember that what happened to children in state care, and continues to happen, is a crime. We refer to these wrongs as abuse: sexual abuse, physical abuse, mental abuse, emotional abuse, cultural abuse and neglect. However, we must not forget that these are crimes against our most vulnerable citizens, our most defenceless and those most in need of our protection and care as a society.

Sometimes, referring to abuse almost minimises it or creates a second type of victim, but a crime is a crime, and these offences committed against children in care are among the most heinous, the most horrific and the most unforgivable. They are crimes that are inconceivable to many Australians. They are crimes that deserve the harshest punishment as a reflection of the attitude of our community now to these offences and offenders. As victims of these crimes, children and care leavers deserve our greatest support as a community.

While we know that those ugly and depraved experiences are a part of the fabric of your life, we also know that you have triumphed over adversity. You are here. You are valuable members of our community. You are enlightening people like us and urging us to strive to change things for the better, and we hear you. Out there in the world, there are care leavers, including those who are child victims of crime, who are leading business, sport, arts, education and the Public Service. They are survivors who are leading their communities, just like you here today.

There are indeed survivors of sexual abuse in this very house. There are former wards of state in this place, too, and there are some in this place whose families faced some of the challenges that yours might have. That gives some of us an insight into your experiences through our own, although we might not have endured the extremes that you have survived. As the former chair of the Victim Support Service and as a long-time reporter working very closely with victims of crime, I have come to learn the importance of an apology.

While every victim of crime is different, for many a recognition from their abuser that they understand the impact of their offending is vitally important. Our courts do put some weight on apologies made to victims, and that is fitting because a sincere apology signals to a victim that their pain is recognised. It can assist a victim to deal with the offences against them and begin to work through the complex emotions and implications of sexual and other forms of abuse. It can aid a prosecution and reduce the degree of re-traumatisation for victims. It can serve as a public confession and a vindication for a victim, too.

Many victims I have worked with as a journalist have told me their very painful stories because they want to ensure others are not subjected to the injustice that they have suffered. They want to warn the community about an offender and all offenders. An apology can give some glimmer of hope that an offender understands their crime and will not do it again, or at least is less likely to reoffend. Really, the same can be said of the state.

The apology made a decade ago by this state to children who were abused in state care was all of those things: an admission of wrongs done in institutional care over many years and the immeasurable pain of those crimes, a confession that these crimes are still committed to this day and that that needs to be stopped, and a pledge to do what we can to put right the wrongs of the past and act to better protect vulnerable children in state care. Churches and NGOs joined with the state in that apology and they should be commended for that. Some of them are here today and I welcome them.

Mike Rann, as premier, and Jay Weatherill, as the then minister for families and communities, made the apology on behalf of all South Australians. It was an emotional and moving day for many. Many of you here today were there on that day, and so was I as a reporter. I remember the tears shed, the outpouring of emotion, the many years of pent-up frustration at not being heard suddenly tumbling out. It was also cathartic for the state, as many apologies can be. But of course an apology does not wash away immense and long-held suffering, and, by definition, an apology always comes too late. Saying sorry is important. Recognition of hurt caused and endured is important. We as a new generation of leaders here in this place thank those leaders and that parliament a decade ago for making the apology.

But apologising is not a cure and it is not a solution. It has been 10 years since that momentous apology, and what has changed? Of course, we have to admit that there are still crimes perpetrated against children in state care. There are still people who burrow their way into our child protection system with the aim of manipulating and molesting our most defenceless, and that is a fact. I hope some day it will not be the case, that there will be no need for a shadow child protection minister or a minister of that title, but we all know we are a fair distance away from that goal.

A lot has changed in 10 years. We have seen the establishment of the first Commissioner for Children and Young People. We have seen various legislative change. We have seen upgrades to the working with children checks, the establishment of the Early Intervention Research Directorate, an 800 per cent increase in kinship care since 2002 and the establishment of a stand-alone child protection department. We have seen responses to the Chloe Valentine coronial report, the Mullighan report and a $500 million investment for the implementation of the Nyland royal commission.

In February, the first phase of the new child protection legislation took effect. This October, the second phase will come into force. These were Labor reforms that we on this side believe will make a real difference to children in state care, tilting the ledger in tough cases to favour the safety of the child. I would like to recognise the former minister, Susan Close, the former attorney-general, John Rau, as well as the member for Cheltenham, Jay Weatherill, and their staff for their tireless work on these important reforms.

The reforms will continue, with the introduction of a National Redress Scheme and the removal of time limits for children who wish to take civil legal action against their abusers later in life. Amid these reforms is the ongoing day-to-day work of carers, police, lawyers, the Office of the DPP, victim support services and the victims' rights commissioner, NGOs, the departments of child protection and human services, among others, the medical and mental health professions and those who work with victims and protect those currently in state care. But the biggest change, so care leavers tell me, is a shift in community attitudes and a greater awareness of the plight of children in care, and that is a fantastic change in a decade.

I take this opportunity to thank all those who work in the sector for their big hearts, their long hours and their selfless dedication to helping others. Although their jobs are incredibly challenging, they are vital and we appreciate the difference that you make every day.

I would also like to express gratitude to the late Ted Mullighan QC. It is due to him and his groundbreaking inquiry that the apology was made 10 years ago. It was his recommendation. Many in the gallery and on the floor knew Ted. I count myself incredibly lucky to have known him for a little while. The work he undertook on behalf of our community was heartbreaking and soul shaking. We all owe him, his family and his staff a great debt for undertaking it. His endeavours have had and will continue to have a lasting impact on our community.

The way he worked with victims, many of whom revealed their pain to him for the very first time, is remarkable and sets a standard in compassion for us all. I know he is looking down on us and willing us to continue his great work. Change in this area is incremental. Not enough has yet changed, and that is plainly obvious. But today we reaffirm the apology and with it our commitment to do all we can to protect children in care.

I would also like to raise today some areas that will require this parliament's attention as we move forward. Many of those who were victims of historic abuse in care are now in their 50s and 60s or even a little older. They are now looking to their retirement. It is natural as we age to harbour concerns about our care in our senior years. Some of us will remain in our own homes or live with our families, and some of us will be cared for in an aged-care facility. That is a stressful and daunting prospect for any individual, but imagine if the last time you were in institutional care and dependent on the care and goodwill of others you were sexually, physically or mentally abused. The thought of returning to such care must be truly horrifying.

I have to admit that it was not something I turned my mind to until recently when it was raised with me and has been discussed with me in some detail by care leavers. I thank those who have drawn this important concern to my attention. People have raised with me the hope that the state might provide an additional level of attention and support for people who were abused in state care as they approach their senior years. That support might include additional effort to ensure they can stay in their own homes and avoid institutional care or receive additional counselling and medical assistance while transitioning into aged care.

I will continue my remarks later, but I look forward to hearing from those on the other side of the house. I thank you for your time.

The Hon. R. SANDERSON (Adelaide—Minister for Child Protection) (11:12): I rise to support this very important motion to recognise the 10th anniversary of the formal apology offered by the government of South Australia to children abused in state care. At the time of the apology 10 years ago, it was widely acknowledged that the importance of an apology should not and could not be underestimated, and that is still very true today.

Over the past couple of months, we have witnessed every state in Australia join the National Redress Scheme. While this will never take away the pain experienced by those who suffered these abuses, we hope it will go some way towards supporting survivors in their journey towards healing, particularly in light of the systemic failures of the authorities in the past who could have and should have listened and protected those most vulnerable in our community.

Participation in the National Redress Scheme by South Australia is an acknowledgement that the childhood sexual abuse suffered by children in state government institutional settings was wrong and should not have happened and recognises the suffering survivors can experience, have experienced and do experience today. In South Australia, we were already leading the way with our state care compensation scheme for victims of abuse in care, but joining the National Redress Scheme further reinforces our commitment to righting the wrongs of the past and our belief in the words of the survivors and the abuse and neglect in state-run institutions in South Australia.

We know participation in the scheme will significantly impact our Aboriginal community, given the disproportionately high number of Aboriginal survivors who have been in care. The fundamental principles remain that everybody, each and every one of us, has a role to play in keeping children and young people safe from harm. The South Australian Liberal government has committed to taking actions to strengthen protections for children and young people and is already taking steps to enact this commitment. Achieving change will take time and it is critical that we continue to work together, focusing on keeping children safe while we implement system-wide reforms.

The new Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017, which replaces the Children's Protection Act 1993, provides the foundations for a reformed child protection system. The act leads the way by removing the exemption of church confessions from mandatory reporting obligations. From 22 October this year, anyone who hears an admission of child sex abuse during confession will be required to report this or face prosecution.

The act also provides for a stronger voice and representation for children and young people under custody and guardianship orders in decisions that will affect their lives. It promotes permanence and stability for children and young people who have been removed from their parents or guardians and encourages decisions and actions to be made in a timely matter or, in the case of young children, as early as possible.

The act establishes the Child and Young Person's Visitor scheme, appointing a Child and Young Person's Visitor to conduct visits and inspections of residential care facilities, meeting with the children and young people who live there to ensure their best interests are being considered and that they are cared for. The visitor advocates for children and young people, providing advice to the minister around areas requiring systemic reform, to improve the quality of care and treatment of children and young people in residential care and to ensure quality management of out-of-home care services.

All these measures are to help safeguard children and young people from abuse, such as that experienced by children who were harmed in state care, so that it never occurs again. It was not until the ABC screening of the 1992 documentary, The Leaving of Liverpool, which told the story of two boys who were part of the child migration scheme and the deprivation, hardship and abuse they encountered as orphans in a strange land, that people started speaking about their own experiences. Through the documentary, which served as a catalyst, others felt able to break their silence and speak up.

By 1994, the evidence had become undeniable, as literally hundreds of South Australians spoke of their own experiences as children in care in South Australia, mirroring the stories of abuse and neglect being told around the country. We are listening and we are believing. That is why we, the Liberal government in South Australia, are working for all South Australians, but none more than the vulnerable and at-risk children and young people of our state to keep them safe from harm and provide them with every opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential.

Working across government in collaboration with non-government agencies, with families, with carers, with children and young and with the community, together we can make sure that nothing like this ever happens again. Child protection is everyone's business, but it is also everyone's responsibility. We all have our part to play, whether that is reporting something we see that does not look quite right or taking a child into our home as a carer. It could be as simple as donating to an organisation or volunteering some of our time.

Today, we recognise the 10th anniversary of the day we first apologised. Outside the Women's and Children's Hospital in Red Gum Park (Karrawirra) is the memorial to the Forgotten Australians and wards of the state. The work by Adelaide sculptor Craige Andrae, of huge metal flowers intended to be daisies, was erected in 2010, two years after South Australia led the way with our apology to those who had been abused and neglected in state care. Its inscription aptly reads:

In honour of the children who suffered abuse in institutional and out-of-home care. We have grown through awareness and unity. We celebrate our courage, strength and resilience. We are no longer forgotten. Dedicated to the future protection and nurturing of all children.

I encourage you to visit the site and sit under a huge Moreton Bay fig. It is a truly lovely place to sit and reflect on what has been, what is and what can be in the future.

As Minister for Child Protection, I acknowledge the tireless work of staff in the Department for Children Protection and the many agencies in the sector who work hard, to this very day, to keep our children safe. We will continue working, planning and making sure that we are doing everything we can, so that all children and young people are better protected and kept safe from harm so they can grow up with every opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential.

Mr MULLIGHAN (Lee) (11:19): I rise to commend the member for Badcoe's motion to the house, as this house seeks to recognise the 10th anniversary of the apology to children abused in state care. I want to make a few remarks about the apology itself, but also some of the events leading up to the apology, because in my view those events, in the context of history, are quite extraordinary.

It was back in 2002 that the then newly elected Labor government sought to have an inquiry undertaken by Robyn Layton QC to examine what had been an increasing number of reports and concerns about instances of what was then referred to as abuse of children in state care. On receipt of that report some time later, it was the member for Cheltenham, the then minister, who in my view took an extraordinary step to not try to deal with the contents of the report and the implications of it in an administrative fashion within the bounds of executive government, but sought to do the complete opposite and establish a very public and far-reaching inquiry to get to the bottom of the extent to which such abuse had been occurring in institutions within the control of the state, of related institutions going back many decades.

I think it is a great credit not just to the member for Cheltenham but to this parliament for its approach to the establishment of that inquiry. It was not just a creature of the government of the day; it was something that was quite strongly supported by the opposition of the day and, although the member for Bragg will most likely be too modest to admit her particular role in ensuring that that was the case, that certainly was the case, and I believe the member for Bragg had quite a bit to do with that, and I think we should pay credit for her role in that, too.

As many others have mentioned, my late father agreed to be the commissioner of that inquiry. At the time, it is my recollection that it was estimated that perhaps the inquiry might run for about six months. There was some considerable uncertainty as to how many people would be willing to appear before the inquiry and give evidence, let alone how many former wards of the state or abuse victims would be willing to tell their stories.

I think particular credit needs to be paid to those first people who came forward to the inquiry, who were brave enough and courageous enough to see whether this was a genuine process, to see whether my late father or those people involved in the commission were genuine and could be trusted with hearing their stories and whether telling their stories was going to have any impact in the future or deliver any benefit to how children in care were to be treated in the future.

Those brave people did appear and, through not just the ongoing advertisement of the commission's existence but, most particularly, the stories that those first people who appeared before the commission told, it had the effect of encouraging more and more people to appear. Six months became 12 months and 12 months became 18 months, as many hundreds of people came forward—well beyond the expectations initially of both the then minister as well as the commission itself—and the importance and the size of the task grew.

During the course of the inquiry, the terms of reference were effectively added to, with an additional inquiry to look at the abuse of children in the APY lands. This was a separate but parallel inquiry that took not just a lot more time and resources of the commission but required an incredibly sensitive approach. It required my late father and the commission staff to spend a lot of time up in the lands. Not that my father was one for talking about his work in any great detail, but one of the things he did say was that, as the community gradually came to accept him and the other commission staff as they conducted their role, one of them said that white people, government officials, were like clouds: here today and gone tomorrow. That is how they were used to being treated when it came to addressing many of the social and other issues on the lands.

That made very clear in stark terms the importance of the role that they had in conducting that inquiry in a way in which that community felt that it was both genuine and also that it was going to have some lasting benefits for them in the future. Both reports were presented in April, I think it was, in 2008 and, as we are commemorating today, shortly afterwards an apology was made by the then premier and minister and this parliament to those people who were abused in state care. Much is said about the importance of that apology and apologies generally—that an apology perhaps contributes towards some sort of healing process and is a recognition of the lasting damage that this abuse and these crimes have on the victims upon whom they are perpetrated.

But I think apologies are more important for a more fundamental reason, and particularly in this instance; that is, apologies are a recognition in the first place that this actually happened. For many people, for many decades, from a very young age they had become quickly accustomed to having their cries for help and their pleas for assistance either ignored, disbelieved or swept under a rug. As the member for Badcoe has pointed out, it has taken this parliament and the former government as well as the current government an extraordinary amount of time and resources to try to continue, as effectively as possible, combating the scourge of this type of behaviour in our society.

There have been commissioners, departments, hundreds of millions of dollars, and new requirements that extend well beyond those who regularly work with children. In fact, I think more than 150,000 South Australians at current count have working with children clearances, such is the seriousness with which this state treats the requirements of those who are going to be around children in nearly any capacity. It is that recognition, I think, that this abuse occurred in the first place which is the most important element of the apology.

Ten years ago, it set a foundation upon which this parliament and governments have continued to build hopefully what proves to be a strong edifice against this type of behaviour in our community. As we all know, we are not there yet. There still remains an enormous amount of work to be done. As this issue has become more and more public, as more and more resources have been poured into this area of government and as it has received more recognition both here in South Australia but also nationally, of course the gaze has been lifted to what constitutes abuse.

People are now more inclined than they were 10 years ago—let alone 20, 30 or 40 years ago—to raise their hands and call out what they believe to be instances of abuse against young children. Those trends continue to escalate, and it will be a great challenge, not just for the current minister in the current government but for governments in the future, to try to ensure that the way in which we manage this as a society is effective in stamping this behaviour out and doing everything possible to minimise the risk of any offending against children, particularly those in state care.

I am deeply grateful to the member for Cheltenham and the then Labor government, and also the member for Bragg and her then colleagues, who were willing to take a strong bipartisan approach in establishing and supporting the inquiry which my late father headed. But I am more grateful to those people, those many hundreds of people, who appeared before the inquiry and have contributed their stories, which have enabled our community to get to where we are today.

I would like to finish, though, by recognising that there were many people who were not able to appear before the inquiry, many people who were not able to survive their time in state care, and we should also recognise them as well.

Ms LUETHEN (King) (11:29): I rise to support this very important motion on the 10th anniversary of the South Australian government's apology to children in state care. On 17 June 2018, it was the 10th anniversary of the South Australian government's apology to children in state care. The apology was initiated by the release of the Children in State Care Commission of Inquiry (the Mullighan inquiry) which highlighted 10 years ago the vulnerability of children in state care and the failings of our state to protect those children.

Evidence given to the inquiry demonstrated that the alleged sexual abuse occurred in every type of care in South Australia, including large institutional care, smaller group care, residential care units, foster care placements, family care and secure care facilities. I acknowledge the survivors in the gallery today. Thank you for your strength, your courage, your advocacy and for fighting for change. Let's listen to a few statements from the victims who were abused as children and who spoke at this inquiry 10 years ago to give them a voice today in this parliament as we reflect. I quote:

You got to the stage where you thought [sexual abuse] was just part of the norm; keep your mouth shut, otherwise you will be worse off than everybody else.

Another quote:

I'm five and a half years old. I'm terrified…and there's this bloke [the perpetrator] threatening to bloody kill me.

Another quote:

You feel as though it's your fault it's happening. You can't understand why it's happening. You don't sort of blame the people that's doing it to you. You seem to blame yourself.

Another quote:

…all my life. I've wanted to tell.

This motion is an opportunity to acknowledge the harm and suffering experienced by those abused while in state care. I acknowledge that the abuse of these children was inexcusable and disgraceful. It is disgraceful that their cries for help were ignored.

The horrific extent of sexual abuse against children in state care over four decades was revealed in the 600-page report of the Mullighan inquiry to state parliament. Ten years ago, 792 people bravely came forward to the inquiry and said they were victims of child sexual abuse in South Australian institutions. Of these allegations, the inquiry referred allegations from 170 people to the police, involving 434 alleged perpetrators. Only two suspects were arrested and a further 13 reported, arising from the referrals from the commission of inquiry. Mr Mullighan said:

I was appalled and horrified at the way in which children were exploited, abused and threatened and how they have lived in that situation for years without being able to do anything about it.

Ten years ago, the Mullighan inquiry concluded that the incidence of child sexual abuse on the APY lands was widespread. Ten years ago, Mr Mullighan highlighted that the number of children being placed in care was increasing and there was a shortage of foster carers and social workers, as we have today.

I am deeply concerned that the names of paedophiles named in the Mullighan inquiry were suppressed for many years to come. Did you know that research reports tell us that without treatment 60 to 70 per cent of child sexual abuse offenders will reoffend? If the offenders were not stopped, how many more children have they abused? How many more South Australian lives have been impacted? What infuriates and offends me is over the last 15 years there has been a litany of inquiries into the South Australian government's failure to protect children.

There was the Layton report in 2003 with 206 recommendations. There was the Mullighan inquiry in 2008 with 54 recommendations. There was the parliamentary Select Committee on Families SA in November 2009, then came the Debelle inquiry about abuse covered up by our education department. Then there was the coronial inquest into the death of Chloe Valentine in April 2015. In 2016, the horrific case came to light of Shannon McCoole whose crimes were described by the then Labor premier, Jay Weatherill, as potentially the worst the nation had ever seen.

Shannon McCoole managed to continue offending for years before his arrest, despite his colleagues raising concerns. The response: another royal commission. Justice Margaret Nyland called for dramatic changes once again to what she described as 'a system in crisis'. This ended in an inevitable apology. When all the apologies are measured against the lifelong trauma that these children endure, we must ask: is any apology enough? These are crimes against our most vulnerable citizens, which continue today.

The South Australian inquiries, reports and commissions have repeatedly found a culture of secrecy, unwieldy bureaucracy, lack of resources and a failure to put children first. Have all these reports and inquiries just been sitting on shelves? Now we learn that the state's new Minister for Child Protection cannot read a critical report on concerns about carers employed by her department because it, too, was made confidential by the former Labor cabinet. Ten years ago, some of the victims of the Children in State Care Commission of Inquiry testified, and I quote them:

I am here to make sure it doesn't happen again to any kid.

Ten years ago, another quote:

This is why I am sitting here today, so it doesn't happen to children in the current system.

Another quote:

I think it's good that it's told so that it doesn't happen to other people.

Another quote:

I'd like that nothing like this happens to any other kids, for a start because I have grandchildren.

And another quote:

It's got to stop so it doesn't happen to other kids like me.

It is time to listen to these victims and survivors. So, yes, 10 years later these victims deserve words of apology because an acknowledgement of the pain and hurt caused by this crime of child sexual abuse and the giving of a genuine apology are extremely important. Your pain is recognised. As we have heard, these people who suffered this pain and hurt asked us to ensure that children are better protected in the future. Well, this future is now.

Last year, a woman in King told me of her struggle to become a foster carer to a second South Australian child. She told me that she had requested a child who had not been sexually abused because her current foster child is very high needs and has developmental delays. She told me that the department told her that it was almost impossible to find a child who had not been sexually abused. Sexual abuse is not a past historical problem: it is a crime that is rampant today. I urge members across this parliament, on our side of government, in the opposition and all our Independents to work together and agree on how we can implement the many recommendations that have been made over the past 15 years.

I have a dream that together we can create the safest state for children to grow up in. We just need to have the heart, the compassion and the commitment to work together to achieve this right now, not in the future. It is time for real action, and our whole state will benefit. Childhood trauma, including abuse, affects an estimated five million Australian adults and needs to be seen as a mainstream public health policy issue. If not comprehensively addressed, trauma and abuse experienced in childhood have both short-term and lifelong impacts that also affect the overall health of our community and of our nation.

It also impacts negatively on public finances. In 2015, Pegasus Economics estimated that if the impacts of child abuse alone were adequately addressed the combined budget position of the federal, state and territorial governments could be improved by a minimum of $6.8 billion annually. It is time to listen to the victims and survivors. 'I am here to make sure it doesn't happen again to any kid.' That is what one victim said. Colleagues, I ask for your support for real change for every one of the victims and all the children in South Australia today who need us to speak up and act.

Mr WEATHERILL (Cheltenham) (11:39): I thank the member for Ashford for bringing this motion to the house.

Ms Stinson: Badcoe.

Mr WEATHERILL: Badcoe, of course. I am sorry, I am a bit out of date. This is a has-been speaking as opposed to somebody with a contemporary view of things. As a has-been, I get asked from time to time what is my proudest achievement and, without hesitation, I refer to the establishment of the Mullighan inquiry into children in state care. The reason it was such a success, of course, is because of the tremendous work of Ted Mullighan, his wisdom, his compassion and his dedication to each of those little children, who by that time were adults who were able to tell their story.

I do not want to repeat the remarks I made on that occasion 10 years ago, but I think I failed to mention something that I do want to put on the record on this occasion, and that is the way we constructed that inquiry. I think it may be of some assistance to the house as it considers how to deal with perhaps similar issues in the future. When we were seeking to establish this inquiry, we were very conscious of it not being an inquiry that merely created the inevitable media sensation that then led to a series of recommendations which were impossible to consume by government and which then sat on a shelf somewhere gathering dust. So a deliberate decision was taken to regard the process of establishing the inquiry as an essential part of the success of the inquiry.

In that regard, we consulted experts. We consulted an eminent psychologist, Michael White, who was really the creator or co-creator of a body of thought in psychology called narrative therapy. He established the Dulwich Centre here in South Australia. He had some experience in working with the South African government on the creation of the truth and reconciliation inquiry. The overwhelming purpose of that approach is to use the strengths of the so-called victims, who we now describe as survivors, and use those strengths to get them to retell a new story of their life. So instead of the story being 'I am a victim and I have been damaged', the story becomes, 'I am a survivor and I am strong.'

The process of the inquiry was an absolutely critical one in permitting the survivors to retell the story of their life. I note, poignantly, that Michael White died almost within a few weeks of our issuing the apology. I do not think he was ever properly acknowledged for his role in constructing the inquiry, but we certainly did speak at length with him and his team about how we might construct this inquiry. Obviously, the commissioner, Ted Mullighan, was deeply involved in the construction of the inquiry in that way, and it was his expert implementation of those values that gave the inquiry its strength.

I might have recounted this story on the last occasion, but it is a really powerful one that I think proves the success of that approach. One of the women who participated in the inquiry later said to me, 'Before this inquiry, my family used to look at me as a bit of a broken-down wreck and somebody who was struggling with their life. After this inquiry, they saw me as a strong woman who had survived this extraordinary set of events and was still standing.' She was able to retell the story of her life to herself and also to her family and, in that way, making herself strong.

Justice demands many things. Sometimes it demands perpetrators being sent to gaol; sometimes it demands the payment of money; but most importantly it demands the restoration of the person who has suffered the crime. I think, in a very real way, we have restored so many of the people who participated in this inquiry to a sense of wellbeing and strength, and it is largely because of the wonderful work that was done by everybody who brought us to this stage.

However, overwhelmingly, it is due to the courage and the strength of those people who experienced these awful things and their willingness to come forward and participate and trust. It is really those beautiful young children who ended up becoming adults and surviving. It is worth remembering, as the member for Lee has, those who could not survive this journey, and this motion is for them.

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General) (11:45): I rise to speak in support of the motion presented by the member for Badcoe and acknowledge the contributions made by other speakers, including the Premier and Leader of the Opposition, in recognition of 17 June 2018 being 10 years since the apology was given. Can I just say though that, like the member for Cheltenham, I have been here for 16 years as well, but I do not have a view on this matter that is quite as 'skip through the wildflowers' or some sort of 'tiptoe through the tulips' that is being presented in respect of the celebration of 10 years since the apology.

I am angry and I am deeply disappointed that in that 16 years we actually have not done anywhere near enough for the children today who are suffering right now and who are now still vulnerable as a result of a number of inactions. Some of them are by governments, some of them are by parents, some of them are by predatory people who will always seek out and try to do bad things to children.

However, today we want to recognise—and I do, too, as I did 10 years ago—His Honour Ted Mullighan, as he was known to us. I had the privilege of briefing him, having cases against him and dealing in this child protection area during the 1980s in particular. He was a man of great wisdom and extraordinary patience. He was the best man for the job. The decision by the former Labor government to appoint him to conduct this inquiry I fully applauded and still do.

Mr Mullighan did an extraordinary amount of work, and perhaps only the member for Lee would understand the significant sacrifice to the rest of his family in giving their father in his twilight years, which was all too short, when he died not long after completing this arduous task—a great contribution. But let's just consider what was happening around it. Shortly after the new government of 2002 came in, we had the member for Cheltenham now as the minister covering child protection, and we had then premier Rann. They announced that they will engage Robyn Layton QC to do a comprehensive report. She did that: Keeping Them Safe.

But remember this: when we got that report in 2003, it was only the skinny version. The 189-page report of Robyn Layton QC was kept secret for 10 years—10 years! She gave an enormous number of contributions in her recommendations, including that we must have an independently appointed commissioner for children, and we had to fight kicking and screaming with the then government to finally have that come to fruition in 2017. Then, to add insult to injury, what did they do? They kept away her powers until November last year. They would not even give her any powers to investigate until November last year.

I am not happy that at the time we had this comprehensive review, groundbreaking in the sense of dealing with child sexual abuse in institutional care, we had a 189-page report kept secret. In 2008, we had recommendations from Mr Mullighan about secure state care for children at large. He said this in his report, he said it to me and he said it to others: it is too dangerous to leave these children on the street—and nobody has listened. We even had the Nyland report years later say the same thing, and nobody has listened!

When I talk now about having mandatory treatment for children and giving them actual therapeutic treatment in relation to addiction for drug abuse, the opposition is still screaming. It is not acceptable to leave these children at large, vulnerable to predators and left in the ignorance of some parents who are unable or unwilling to properly care for their children. We then had a second report from Mr Mullighan telling us of the scandalous situation on the APY lands. He said child abuse was an epidemic up there, sexual abuse in particular.

The Debelle report: again, a whole shroud of secrecy over a child who had been abused in a canteen in a school by someone who worked for the government, and it was then kept secret from the parents. We went through another royal commission. Then we had the announcement, just after the 2014 election, that one of their very own, Shannon McCoole, was caught red-handed exploiting and abusing seven children and had an enormous amount of equipment in relation to child exploitation material. He was ultimately convicted, of course, but another royal commission was announced with more evidence received, thousands more pages written and millions of dollars spent.

Then we find there is a second person in the department of the then government, employed and abusing children, so we have the Hyde review, and guess what? A former commissioner of police conducts the Hyde review and it is still a secret. It is just utterly scandalous to me that we keep asking these people to conduct inquiries, identify deficiencies, say that the reporting system is inadequate, identify that the training is inferior, clearly identify that the mandatory processes of reporting are inadequate, and what do they do? They keep these reports secret. It is not acceptable that this continues.

We have been here for 16 years, and for 16 years we have had to fight to have a dedicated minister for child protection and an independent department. We have had to fight to have a commissioner with investigative powers. We have had to argue again to deal with protection in relation to children and whether to have a three-year limit on claiming for child protection. We had to fight and win an election to be able to get into the National Redress Scheme and go to the federal table and say, 'Yes, we are ready to line up again and make sure that these children at least have some redress.'

We are still fighting for these children who have been identified and who have cried out for help over the last 16 years. I find it unconscionable that we can sit here and envelop ourselves with some kind of accolade because we have made an apology. That is not enough. It is a very important thing to do and I said that 10 years ago, but it is not enough that we come back in here again and say, another 10 years later, 'Aren't we good because we gave an apology?' It is disgracefully inadequate and any member, new or old, sitting in this chamber ought to remember that and do something about it.

Ms HILDYARD (Reynell) (11:52): I rise to wholeheartedly support this motion and also to make some very brief remarks. In doing so, I want to acknowledge some remarkable women here today: Jeannie Davison and Josephine Littlehawk. I pay deep tribute to their outstanding courage, to their enduring resilience and to their enormous hearts and minds that they have so bravely turned to supporting and empowering others who have traversed a similar journey to their own. To Jeannie and Josephine and to others who so bravely speak up, thank you for your voice, and thank you for engendering the voice of so many others.

I pay tribute also to the fine advocates who are here with us today. Thank you for walking alongside those who have spent or do spend time in state care. Thank you also for empowering their voice and for lifting them up to live their best lives, sometimes in the most difficult of circumstances. It was really lovely to spend time with you this morning and I thank you for coming to be with us today. I also thank the member for Badcoe for bringing us together.

Ten years have now passed since former premier, the Hon. Mike Rann, stood up in this place, supported by the member for Cheltenham, and rightly and formally apologised on behalf of the government of South Australia to children who were abused in state care. On that day, he said:

In moving this apology I acknowledge that nothing any of us say here today will take back the pain these children have carried into their adult lives. Nothing that we say will be able to change the past actions, the past abuse that was experienced by some of those who were placed in state care.

These words remain true today inasmuch as we can never take back the pain of what happened. It is so important to reflect on this moment and to remind ourselves that we must be relentlessly vigilant when it comes to keeping our most vulnerable children safe. It is also an important moment to reflect on the fact that together we can work to change the future.

I speak today with a commitment to doing that with all members of this house, I speak today pleased that the apology was made and pleased about some of the changes made to help in this area, but I also speak deeply knowing that there is more for all of us to do. I speak today with just the tiniest bit of knowledge about the pain that can be caused when children are not kept safe.

I speak today to thank all the people in this area for their hard work: again, to the brave women here today, and also to the staff at the Department for Child Protection, SAPOL, the DPP, in the justice system, advocates, community workers and all those who play a role in this area. I conclude with something the former commissioner for victims' rights wrote:

All victims I have helped want vindication by acknowledgement of the crime committed against them and validation by acknowledgement of the harm done to them.

I am proud that we went some way to doing this through the apology. I want every survivor to know that we have never forgotten and will never forget their plight, and that we will walk with them in the journey, side by side, that we will keep listening and that we will keep acting until every child is safe and able to thrive in every aspect of their life.

Ms STINSON (Badcoe) (11:56): I would like to briefly follow on from my earlier remarks. It is not unreasonable, of course, for older care leavers to request greater support as they approach aged care, and I urge the Minister for Health, the Minister for Human Services and the Minister for Child Protection (I will let her know later) to thoroughly consult with older care leavers, investigate their concerns and devise practical solutions to these very real fears. They will enjoy the support of this side of the house in their genuine endeavours to address this issue.

I would like to thank all the speakers today: my opposite number, Rachel Sanderson, the member for Adelaide; Jay Weatherill, of course, who was instrumental in this apology in the first place; Stephen Mullighan, the member for Lee; the member for Reynell for her comments; Ms Luethen, the member for King; and the member for Bragg, Vickie Chapman, I appreciate the comments you made today.

I would also like to extend a bit of thanks to those across the chamber who made way for this motion to be heard first up today. To the member for Heysen, I thank you very much; to Troy Bell, the member for Mount Gambier, and to my colleague the member for Kaurna, Chris Picton, it is very generous of you to allow us to deal with this motion so that people were able to join us and hear the sentiments of all members of the house.

I would like to conclude by reiterating the apology made 10 years ago:

…this parliament recognises the abuses of some of those who grew up in state care and the impact that this has had on their lives. Only those who have been subject to this kind of abuse or neglect will ever be able to fully understand what it means to have experienced these abhorrent acts. For many of these people, governments of any persuasion were not to be trusted. Yet many have overcome this mistrust.

You have been listened to and believed and this parliament now commits itself to righting the wrongs of the past. We recognise that the majority of carers have been, and still are, decent honourable people who continue to open their hearts to care for vulnerable children. We thank those South Australians for their compassion and care.

We also acknowledge that some have abused [that] trust placed in them as carers. They have preyed upon our children. We acknowledge those courageous people who opened up their own wounds to ensure that we as a state could know the extent of these abuses.

We accept that some children who were placed in the care of government and church institutions suffered abuse. We accept these children were hurt. We accept they were hurt through no fault of their own. We acknowledge this truth. We acknowledge that in the past the state has not protected some of its most vulnerable. By this apology we express regret for the pain that has been suffered by so many.

To all those who experienced abuse in state care, we are sorry. To those who witnessed these abuses, we are sorry. To those who were not believed when trying to report these abuses, we are sorry. For the pain shared by loved ones, husbands and wives, partners, brothers and sisters, parents and, importantly, their children, we are sorry.

We commit this parliament to be ever vigilant in its pursuit of those who abuse children. And we commit this parliament to help people overcome this, until now, untold chapter in our state's history.

I commend the motion to the house.

Motion carried.

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