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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-04-02 Daily Xml
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Child Protection

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA (Hartley—Leader of the Opposition) (14:13): My question is again to the Premier. Has the government put its best interests before the best interests of vulnerable South Australian children? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA: According to key child protection stakeholders, South Australia remains behind other jurisdictions as a result of Labor's approach to child protection legislation. Belinda Valentine has recently described the government's legislative reform as: 'instead of protecting vulnerable children, it protects the department and the government.'

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (14:14): Let's be clear about this. I mentioned the work that the Minister for Child Protection is undertaking in terms of reform to the sector. I mentioned the budget and I mentioned the family conferencing. But let's skip over, for a second, all the work the minister has undertaken over the course of the last three years and let's look at an outcome. When we came to government only three years ago, the number of children and young people in care was running at 9 per cent growth per annum. Now that is down, effectively to zero.

It is impossible for me to overstate just how hard it is to achieve that end. It requires resources, yes; it requires policy reform, absolutely; but do you know what it also requires? Strong leadership, and that is what this minister is delivering to the sector. So, of course, we don't accept any of the premises in the Leader of the Opposition's question. We are not interested in playing politics here; we are genuinely interested in getting outcomes—outcomes that have already been evidenced through the independently measured statistics.

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