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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-02-07 Daily Xml
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Minister for Child Protection

Mr TEAGUE (Heysen) (15:47): My question is to the Minister for Child Protection. Can the minister explain her conduct on 18 May last year, including whether she spent more time in her child protection portfolio or other portfolio work that day? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr Whetstone: Just listen to the question.

The SPEAKER: Member for Chaffey, your colleague is asking the question. Member for Heysen.

Mr TEAGUE: I need leave, sir.

Leave granted.

Mr TEAGUE: On 18 May, a 13 year old was discovered ingesting pills in a child protection facility under state care. That same day, according to documents released under FOI, the minister prioritised attending an A-league match at Hindmarsh Stadium and making celebratory posts on Facebook.

The Hon. K.A. HILDYARD (Reynell—Minister for Child Protection, Minister for Women and the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (15:48): I might just give the shadow minister a little bit of a lesson about child protection, because it is very clear he has never turned his mind to the complex issues; rather, he just comes up with this ridiculous nonsense.

What I can tell you, Mr Speaker, and everyone in this house, is that if he is judging whether somebody is engaged in child protection through monitoring their social media—and clearly he monitors my social media—that there are many issues that you contemplate in child protection, really complex issues that you deal with every single day, that no-one would ever put on social media, nor would I be putting on the details of the files I look at every single night. He knows that time is in my diary, but has conveniently left it out of his little base equation. He knows that time is in there. He also knows that there are many, many events, files and briefings to do with domestic violence prevention, and I might just explain to the shadow minister the deep intersection between child protection and domestic violence prevention.

The SPEAKER: Minister, before—

The Hon. K.A. HILDYARD: We think that around 80 per cent—

The SPEAKER: Minister, I am just going to draw your attention to the standing orders. Your contribution so far runs the risk of amounting to, in part, a personal reflection on any other member. This is a matter that I am going to police closely on both sides for this year. I was concerned last year that this was a matter that had been let go. I appreciate the sensitivity of the topic. It is possible to address this matter in a more objective way reflecting on the question.

The Hon. K.A. HILDYARD: Thank you, Mr Speaker, I do take your point. Thank you for your advice and guidance. What I would say, though, in relation to the intersection between domestic violence prevention and child protection is that a number of issues that you deal with in the portfolio of domestic violence prevention also don't necessarily appear on social media for very good reason. What I would say about that intersection is that around 80 per cent—which is a shocking figure—or in the vicinity of 80 per cent of child protection cases have a domestic violence element, which is utterly shocking to me. So, if he is doing some sort of calculation, he might want to think about that intersection.

The other thing that I would say is that, in relation to any sporting events in my diary, I don't know about those opposite but I think most members in here generally pop in to particular sporting events for a particular period of time. I would wager a bet that most of us don't go to every single event for the entirety of the time because we are busy with other things. Maybe the shadow minister does have that time. I don't. What I can say also is that perhaps we can talk a little about the period when they were in government. What is really clear to me is that they had a Minister for Child Protection—

Mr TARZIA: Point of order, sir.

The Hon. K.A. HILDYARD: —and what is really clear—

The SPEAKER: Minister, there is a point of order which I am bound to hear from the member for Hartley.

Mr TARZIA: Respectfully, the minister is not responsible to the house for former governments.

The SPEAKER: That may be. I am going to listen carefully. I am going to permit a degree of context if the minister wishes to give it.

The Hon. K.A. HILDYARD: I did just want to give context because, again, I am utterly focused on the issues that we are grappling with as a community in child protection—utterly focused. Everybody in the sector knows that, families that I meet with know that, people know that. The only person questioning it is the shadow minister.

What I would just do, and I didn't really want to do this, but given the cacophony that I have heard from over here I will just make a little contrast: when they were in government their child protection minister had one portfolio. I was utterly alarmed at the lack of any progress whatsoever on the significant issues that we contemplate in child protection during that period. Perhaps I can read from the leaked—what I can read are, perhaps rather than my words, the words of—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members to my left!

The Hon. K.A. HILDYARD: —their own party in their election review in relation to their Minister for Child Protection with one portfolio.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. K.A. HILDYARD: On occasion, it appears that the minister was not apprised of incidents by the department. This led—

The SPEAKER: Minister, your time has expired. You have not sought my indulgence for additional time. I'm going to turn to the member for Newland.

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