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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-11-01 Daily Xml
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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle

The Hon. J.S. LEE (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (15:09): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Attorney-General about Aboriginal affairs.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.S. LEE: The preliminary report into the inquiry into the application of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle in the removal and placement of Aboriginal children in South Australia was released on 4 October 2023. The report reveals that Aboriginal children continue to be disproportionately over-represented in the child protection system in Australia at every level.

One out of every two Aboriginal children were subject to at least one child protection notification in 2020-21, while for non-Aboriginal children these rates decreased to just one in every 12 children. For unborn child concerns, one in every three Aboriginal children were subject to an unborn child notification, compared with just one in 33 non-Aboriginal children. In South Australia, the report predicted that, without change, by 2031 there will be as many as 140 out of every 1,000 Aboriginal children in state care. My questions to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs are:

1. Has the minister received an official briefing on the Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People's Preliminary Report, and when did that briefing take place?

2. Out of the 17 recommendations that were made in that report, which measures will the Labor government implement to reduce the rate of Aboriginal children interacting with the child protection system, and how will the government improve outcomes for those currently in the system?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (15:11): I thank the honourable member for her question. I have probably done one better than ask for a written briefing, I have had discussions with the minister responsible, the Hon. Katrine Hildyard, Minister for Child Protection, directly in relation to Commissioner April Lawrie's report. Certainly, it is something that she is actively working on as the minister responsible, and in the coming weeks and months I am sure the honourable member will be pleased to see the government's response and actions in relation to that report.

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