❓ Mr. Jones asks about the government's plans to improve outcomes for Aboriginal children through legislative reform and the Aboriginal Representative Organisations Pilot. The Minister outlines the reforms and investments made to support Aboriginal-led organisations and reduce the number of Aboriginal children in care.
AnsweredQoN 49Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ABORIGINAL CHILDREN AND FAMILIES — SAFETY PROGRAMS
49. Mr H.T. JONES to the Minister for Child Protection:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to keeping children safe, and in particular
improving outcomes for Aboriginal children.
Can the minister outline to the house how this government's significant
legislative reform, as well as the establishment of the Aboriginal
Representative Organisations Pilot, will help empower more families and help
keep children safe?
49. Mr H.T. JONES to the Minister for Child Protection:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to keeping children safe, and in particular
improving outcomes for Aboriginal children.
Can the minister outline to the house how this government's significant
legislative reform, as well as the establishment of the Aboriginal
Representative Organisations Pilot, will help empower more families and help
keep children safe?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for this
question.
We know that keeping Aboriginal
children connected to their culture, their community and their country is very
important. In fact, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child
Sex Abuse identified that for Aboriginal
children, their connection to culture was an important protective factor in
keeping them safe. To that end , I had
the great pleasure to recently announce that this state government is
prioritising reforms to give Aboriginal-led organisations a greater say
in decisions relating to their children. Members might recall that last year,
we enacted legislative change to mandate the involvement of Aboriginal
organisations in cases in which Aboriginal children come into the care of the
state. That will give those Aboriginal representative organisations an
opportunity to have a say on where those children are placed, and also on those
children's cultural planning. This is really strengthening the supports and the cultural connection for
Aboriginal children. This will also support the development of Aboriginal organisations around the state and their involvement in child protection
matters. The changes will mean that there will be a mandated requirement, as I have
said.
In
order to start the rollout of that change, we have invested $1.3 million into a
pilot to establish Aboriginal representative organisations. We are
piloting that in Armadale in the metropolitan area, and in the Kimberley. It is
part of our ongoing commitment to promote initiatives that support Aboriginal
children and their families. Of course, keeping children safe is always our
priority. But we know that we can make inroads, and we are making inroads, to
reduce the number of Aboriginal children being taken into care. Addressing the
over-representation of Aboriginal children in care requires a concerted effort.
We are committed to working with Aboriginal people and communities, and
Aboriginal organisations, to effect change. This pilot complements a range of
other initiatives, including record investment in early intervention and family
support services. We know that this is starting to get results. We have seen
the first reduction in the number of Aboriginal children in care —
Mr V.A. Catania interjected.
Ms S.F. McGURK : I know that
the member for North West Central —
Mr V.A. Catania interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order! Member
for North West Central, you did not ask this question, and I am advising you
not to interject.
Ms S.F. McGURK : I know
that the member for North West Central might not be interested in real results
when it comes to Aboriginal families and real results when it comes to
Aboriginal children. All he is interested in doing is peddling misinformation
in this chamber and publicly. For instance, yesterday during a debate he said
that there had been a decision for police not to charge any children involved
in youth crime if they were under the age of 15 years. That is what he
said as a statement of fact.
Mr V.A. Catania interjected.
Point of Order
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : Madam Speaker, I think you have ruled a number
of times to the member for North West Central but he is persisting with
his interjections and he is interrupting the minister.
The
SPEAKER : I am really wondering whether he is seeking an early leave
pass, because, member, I will not give you a warning; I will just evict you
from the chamber if you continue that behaviour.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Ms S.F. McGURK : I was
outlining the misinformation that the member for North West Central delights in
giving to this chamber and publicly to rev up and incite fear and uncertainty
in the community. It is really not helpful.
When I am telling the chamber and I am
telling the Western Australian community that we have seen the first reduction
in the number of Aboriginal children in care for over a quarter of a century,
we would think people would be happy about that. We would think people would
acknowledge that this is a key achievement. Of course, it is now one of the
objectives or targets in the Closing the Gap strategy. Although there is still
a lot of work to do, there is no doubt that Aboriginal children are
over-represented in our child protection system—no doubt at all— but when we see for the first time in over a quarter
of a century a reduction in the number of children in care, including Aboriginal children, that is something that we should acknowledge as progress.
That is thanks to the hard work of staff in
the Department of Communities, partner organisations in the community sector
that work in child protection , and also Aboriginal organisations
themselves.
Before I finish, I would like
members to think about what occurred under the opposition in child protection
and keeping families safe and to support Aboriginal families and their
communities. I was looking at not the reduction in the number of Aboriginal
children in care during the eight years of the previous government, but
actually the amount of growth.
Point of Order
Dr D.J.
HONEY : Madam Speaker, the content that the minister is going onto
now has nothing whatsoever to do with the question that was asked.
The SPEAKER : There is no point of order. I do understand that
your side of the house is seeking a further question , so I would counsel
against spurious points of order and further interjections.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Ms S.F. McGURK : Perhaps the
member for Cottesloe wants to raise a point of order when some information
comes before the house that makes him uncomfortable. That might be the point of
order that he wanted to raise.
In 2012, the number of Aboriginal
children in care went up by 10.5 per cent.
Mr V.A. Catania interjected.
The SPEAKER : Let us make it
very clear to the member for North West Central. I do not know whether your comprehension level is particularly poor, but your
leader will not get the next question if you keep behaving like that.
Ms S.F. McGURK : In 2012, the
number of Aboriginal children in care went up by 10.5 per cent—went up
by 10.5 per cent. The following year, in 2013, it went up by 10.5 per cent.
That proceeded from growth in 2011 and in 2014, 2015 and 2016. It was up every
single year. Under this government, we have seen the first reduction in the
number of Aboriginal children in care. That is something that we are proud of.
What is the other thing that the
opposition did for Aboriginal communities when it was in government? Did it try to close remote communities? I think that
was its initiative; that was its achievement—significant periods of
growth of Aboriginal children in care and trying to close Aboriginal
communities. We are proud of the constructive work that we are doing in
government and in partnership with Aboriginal organisations to get better
outcomes for Aboriginal children and their families.
The SPEAKER : I can see that
the Leader of the Opposition is seeking the call. Because I am feeling
particularly generous, despite the behaviour of both the Leader of the Liberal
Party and the member for North West Central, I will give her the call with the
final question.
question.
We know that keeping Aboriginal
children connected to their culture, their community and their country is very
important. In fact, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child
Sex Abuse identified that for Aboriginal
children, their connection to culture was an important protective factor in
keeping them safe. To that end , I had
the great pleasure to recently announce that this state government is
prioritising reforms to give Aboriginal-led organisations a greater say
in decisions relating to their children. Members might recall that last year,
we enacted legislative change to mandate the involvement of Aboriginal
organisations in cases in which Aboriginal children come into the care of the
state. That will give those Aboriginal representative organisations an
opportunity to have a say on where those children are placed, and also on those
children's cultural planning. This is really strengthening the supports and the cultural connection for
Aboriginal children. This will also support the development of Aboriginal organisations around the state and their involvement in child protection
matters. The changes will mean that there will be a mandated requirement, as I have
said.
In
order to start the rollout of that change, we have invested $1.3 million into a
pilot to establish Aboriginal representative organisations. We are
piloting that in Armadale in the metropolitan area, and in the Kimberley. It is
part of our ongoing commitment to promote initiatives that support Aboriginal
children and their families. Of course, keeping children safe is always our
priority. But we know that we can make inroads, and we are making inroads, to
reduce the number of Aboriginal children being taken into care. Addressing the
over-representation of Aboriginal children in care requires a concerted effort.
We are committed to working with Aboriginal people and communities, and
Aboriginal organisations, to effect change. This pilot complements a range of
other initiatives, including record investment in early intervention and family
support services. We know that this is starting to get results. We have seen
the first reduction in the number of Aboriginal children in care —
Mr V.A. Catania interjected.
Ms S.F. McGURK : I know that
the member for North West Central —
Mr V.A. Catania interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order! Member
for North West Central, you did not ask this question, and I am advising you
not to interject.
Ms S.F. McGURK : I know
that the member for North West Central might not be interested in real results
when it comes to Aboriginal families and real results when it comes to
Aboriginal children. All he is interested in doing is peddling misinformation
in this chamber and publicly. For instance, yesterday during a debate he said
that there had been a decision for police not to charge any children involved
in youth crime if they were under the age of 15 years. That is what he
said as a statement of fact.
Mr V.A. Catania interjected.
Point of Order
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : Madam Speaker, I think you have ruled a number
of times to the member for North West Central but he is persisting with
his interjections and he is interrupting the minister.
The
SPEAKER : I am really wondering whether he is seeking an early leave
pass, because, member, I will not give you a warning; I will just evict you
from the chamber if you continue that behaviour.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Ms S.F. McGURK : I was
outlining the misinformation that the member for North West Central delights in
giving to this chamber and publicly to rev up and incite fear and uncertainty
in the community. It is really not helpful.
When I am telling the chamber and I am
telling the Western Australian community that we have seen the first reduction
in the number of Aboriginal children in care for over a quarter of a century,
we would think people would be happy about that. We would think people would
acknowledge that this is a key achievement. Of course, it is now one of the
objectives or targets in the Closing the Gap strategy. Although there is still
a lot of work to do, there is no doubt that Aboriginal children are
over-represented in our child protection system—no doubt at all— but when we see for the first time in over a quarter
of a century a reduction in the number of children in care, including Aboriginal children, that is something that we should acknowledge as progress.
That is thanks to the hard work of staff in
the Department of Communities, partner organisations in the community sector
that work in child protection , and also Aboriginal organisations
themselves.
Before I finish, I would like
members to think about what occurred under the opposition in child protection
and keeping families safe and to support Aboriginal families and their
communities. I was looking at not the reduction in the number of Aboriginal
children in care during the eight years of the previous government, but
actually the amount of growth.
Point of Order
Dr D.J.
HONEY : Madam Speaker, the content that the minister is going onto
now has nothing whatsoever to do with the question that was asked.
The SPEAKER : There is no point of order. I do understand that
your side of the house is seeking a further question , so I would counsel
against spurious points of order and further interjections.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Ms S.F. McGURK : Perhaps the
member for Cottesloe wants to raise a point of order when some information
comes before the house that makes him uncomfortable. That might be the point of
order that he wanted to raise.
In 2012, the number of Aboriginal
children in care went up by 10.5 per cent.
Mr V.A. Catania interjected.
The SPEAKER : Let us make it
very clear to the member for North West Central. I do not know whether your comprehension level is particularly poor, but your
leader will not get the next question if you keep behaving like that.
Ms S.F. McGURK : In 2012, the
number of Aboriginal children in care went up by 10.5 per cent—went up
by 10.5 per cent. The following year, in 2013, it went up by 10.5 per cent.
That proceeded from growth in 2011 and in 2014, 2015 and 2016. It was up every
single year. Under this government, we have seen the first reduction in the
number of Aboriginal children in care. That is something that we are proud of.
What is the other thing that the
opposition did for Aboriginal communities when it was in government? Did it try to close remote communities? I think that
was its initiative; that was its achievement—significant periods of
growth of Aboriginal children in care and trying to close Aboriginal
communities. We are proud of the constructive work that we are doing in
government and in partnership with Aboriginal organisations to get better
outcomes for Aboriginal children and their families.
The SPEAKER : I can see that
the Leader of the Opposition is seeking the call. Because I am feeling
particularly generous, despite the behaviour of both the Leader of the Liberal
Party and the member for North West Central, I will give her the call with the
final question.
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