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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-11-30 Daily Xml
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MULLIGHAN INQUIRY RECOMMENDATIONS

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE (17:19): I move:

That this council observes the progress of the third update on the state government's progress on implementing Commissioner Mullighan's recommendations concerning child welfare on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara lands.

I flag to honourable members that I intend to make some brief remarks on this motion and then seek leave to adjourn to 2012 on this important issue. I move this motion after my concern about the progress of the government's third update response to the Children on APY Lands Commission of Inquiry. It is a report into sexual abuse, chaired by the late Hon. Ted Mullighan QC. It is important that progress on this issue continues to be tracked and that this parliament continues to provide scrutiny and accountability for the government's actions on these very important issues. I do not need to say anything about the abhorrent nature of sexual abuse in any context to reinforce that point. I believe that all honourable members are with Family First on this important issue.

In between giving notice and today when I am speaking to the motion, the government tabled a 93-page report last Wednesday. Family First has not had the opportunity to go through and cross-reference everything in that report with previous commitments but we will do that over the summer, and before we get back to parliament next year.

The early feedback on the report is that it uses the term 'implemented and achieved' in a very generous way, and more analysis is required than Family First can reasonably provide at this early stage. I acknowledge that other colleagues will want to explore this report further and, given that it is only tabled in the parliament and not debated in the way that, for instance, a select committee report is debated, I am happy to open this report up for analysis and debate and hear honourable members on this issue.

I cannot conclude for today (at least on the subject of the APY lands and policing) without touching on the community constable situation. The government admits in its third response that there are only three positions filled. They fail to mention the other nine that are vacant and have been in some cases for several years and, in the case of Fregon, since August 2003. Family First released confirmation of that by a SAPOL freedom of information request on Monday this week, and the Hon. Stephen Wade MLC asked a question on that matter yesterday.

I know that there are mixed views within police on the community constables but there is a view amongst some that they are very useful to improve interaction and respect for police on the lands. I went up there when I was police minister and I toured with both police, corrections and community constables, and I have seen the benefit of, and importance of, having those community constables on the lands.

I note that there are police Aboriginal Liaison Officer positions, and perhaps that reflects the preference of some within the government, or possibly police, as a better way forward than the community constables. But, in the end, we need evidence-based and effective policing in coordination with APY communities to ensure that the police role and the rule of law is respected on the lands, and, when it comes to sexual abuse issues on the lands, there is no hindrance to reporting those offences and seeing them swiftly prosecuted.

I will seek leave to conclude shortly, but, after the events of yesterday in this place, I cannot leave untouched the leader of the government's comments about my record as a former police minister regarding the lands. I invite those googling this speech today to go back to yesterday's question time and the five supplementaries asked after the Hon. Stephen Wade's question so they can check the record. They can go back to SA Police annual reports to further check the record. I recall that in 2002, which was at the end of my period as police minister, all community constable positions were actually filled and in a much better position than is the case now.

There was not as great a need for Anangu-speaking police on the lands because there were community constables from the local community to interface with police. I know and accept that the minister is just trying to defend her government, and only doing her job, but I take issue with this matter because I believe that it needs to be multipartisan when it comes to ensuring that those resources are adequately provided. I suggest that if there was a shortage of police or services in a metropolitan seat in Adelaide, the focus would be to get them there as quickly as possible. I see the same need in the lands. With those remarks, I seek leave to conclude.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.

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