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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-02-17 Daily Xml
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Minister for Child Protection

Mr MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Leader of the Opposition) (15:17): I thank the house for the opportunity to address an important subject, and that of course is the unfolding saga surrounding the Minister for Child Protection. Let's speak plainly about this. The child protection portfolio is an incredibly challenging one. There are undoubtedly very tragic, sad circumstances that lead to so many children in our state ending up under the care and responsibility of the Minister for Child Protection. This is why it is so important that everybody in government, including within this parliament—not just the minister herself but everybody—fulfils their responsibilities to ensure that everything that can be done is being done to look after the welfare of these children.

As this saga unfolds, which is increasingly escalating to put itself directly in the lap of the Premier, it is important to remember what got us here, because it is truly tragic. This all started in September last year, with a report through the courts—I think it was the sentencing remarks—when we first publicly heard about the case of the McIntyre incident, where a 34-year-old man was conducting highly predatory behaviour in regard to a victim who I understand was 13 years old. He used electronic forms of communication to get in touch with that 13-year-old girl in a way that was unlawful. Subsequently, that developed into sexual abuse of that 13-year-old girl, who subsequently fell pregnant. That understandably caused outrage within the community.

The minister responded by saying, 'I knew nothing about it.' Let's take the minister at her word and assume that is true. She said she knew nothing about it, and she now felt compelled to act, as you would reasonably expect. She said she instituted a whole suite of changes within the child protection department that would ensure it would not happen again. She was going to make sure that, although these changes would maybe not prevent harm ever occurring again, at the very least they would ensure that the minister would find out about it and that would allow her to act. That was the promise that she made. Public outcry dulled as a consequence of the minister's commitment to this house and the people of this state and the children in her care.

Only a few weeks after that, what happened? Almost the exact same thing again. We found out through public remarks through our courts—that is the only way we found out about this—that yet again we had a tragic case of a young girl, who was out at a nightclub, being captured by a predator and then subsequently subjected to child sex abuse, I understand, while residing with the predator, despite the fact that that child was in the care and custody of the minister. It was the exact same thing again. Public outrage ensues, people go to the minister. What is the minister's response? 'Well, I knew nothing about it,' despite the promises that she had made to change the system.

This is neglect beyond any comprehension. It is unlike anything that we have seen during the course of this term of government. Now what we have seen is an independent review subsequently finding in black and white that the minister was responsible for failings on her part—on her part. No ifs, no buts, no qualifications—the minister had failed. She was not failing a political test, not failing the commitment to her house, but failing young children in her care who were victims of paedophiles on her watch.

I simply make the point that, if that does not demand action, what does? If that does not demand action on behalf of the Premier, what does? It goes to an unqualified broken promise from the Premier. This is what the Premier has said. He has said this on more than one occasion, but these are the Premier's words back in 2018:

Ministers must be ultimately responsible to the public and the parliament for the quality of services funded by the taxpayers and for the actions of those providing it. If serious errors, or worse, occur in agencies, the minister takes responsibility…

I have told my ministers they cannot expect to remain in cabinet if they see nothing, hear nothing and question nothing.

This minister did not do it once; she did it twice. Furthermore, the Premier has made remarks repeatedly on the record, including on the ABC. He said:

Now this is a major difference between the Labor hopeless administration and a new Liberal Government if we’re elected in March next year because let me tell you if one of my ministers had such a hopeless level of neglect in their department they would not be sitting at the Cabinet table the following week. That’s a fact.

It has been a week. In fact, it has been almost six months. This minister is still there, still failing the public, failing her responsibilities but, most alarmingly, failing children. It is time for the Premier to act in the interests of young people in her care.

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