❓ The Premier addresses the tragic death of Susan Taylor and outlines the government's planned response to the coroner's report, including short-term actions, ministerial advice, and a broader inquiry into Aboriginal community issues with Indigenous involvement.
AnsweredQoN 586Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
SUSAN TAYLOR, GOVERNMENT’S RESPONSE TO CORONER’S REPORT
I refer to the tragic death of Susan Taylor at the Swan Valley Nyoongah community and ask the Premier what action does the Government plan to take on the findings of the coroner’s report released last Thursday? Dr GALLOP
I refer to the tragic death of Susan Taylor at the Swan Valley Nyoongah community and ask the Premier what action does the Government plan to take on the findings of the coroner’s report released last Thursday? Dr GALLOP
AnswerView source ↗
The death of a young person is always tragic, but in this case doubly so given the circumstances in which the young girl died and in which she appeared to have lived, according to the findings in the coroner’s report. We are very concerned about what that report tells us. We intend to take short and longer-term action to deal with the issues. As for the short-term action, I have asked the Ministers for Police, Community Development, Health and Indigenous Affairs to provide advice to me on the implications of the findings for their agencies. It is a sensitive issue, but one on which the Government must act firmly and wisely. There is an overwhelming imperative in this issue; that is, the safety and wellbeing of children like Susan Taylor. I read the coroner’s report over the weekend. It is the most shocking and disturbing document that I have read for some time. I urge all members in the House to read the coroner’s report on the death of that girl. It raises a number of public policy issues that must be addressed by the Government, like the mandatory reporting of suspected abuse by health professionals, the collection of data on sexually transmitted diseases in young children, and the operational practices of departments, like police, health and community development. We need to go further than merely having the ministers go to their departments and respond to the specific issues raised in the report. I took the matter to my cabinet colleagues on Monday. I advise the House that the Government is drawing up the terms of reference for an inquiry that will recommend the best policy approaches to deal with matters not only raised in the coroner’s report but also relating to the broader Aboriginal community in Western Australia. We will ensure that indigenous people in Western Australia play a leading role in that inquiry. Ownership and involvement of indigenous people in this issue are central to finding a proper solution. This is not an attack on indigenous communities; this is an attack on child abuse. We on this side of the House intend to pursue that issue with vigour. I also make it abundantly clear to all government officers who have responsibilities in this area that the Government considers the leadership of the Swan Valley Nyoongah community as subject to the laws and obligations of this State, the same as any other citizen in this State. Government officers carrying out their duties properly and vigorously on behalf of the children who live in that community will have the full support of the State Government and need not fear criticism from outspoken members of the Swan Valley Nyoongah community. We will be bringing the full details of the inquiry to the House as soon as we have completed its terms of reference and we can tell the House who will be involved in the inquiry.
Dr GALLOP replied: The death of a young person is always tragic, but in this case doubly so given the circumstances in which the young girl died and in which she appeared to have lived, according to the findings in the coroner’s report. We are very concerned about what that report tells us. We intend to take short and longer-term action to deal with the issues. As for the short-term action, I have asked the Ministers for Police, Community Development, Health and Indigenous Affairs to provide advice to me on the implications of the findings for their agencies. It is a sensitive issue, but one on which the Government must act firmly and wisely. There is an overwhelming imperative in this issue; that is, the safety and wellbeing of children like Susan Taylor. I read the coroner’s report over the weekend. It is the most shocking and disturbing document that I have read for some time. I urge all members in the House to read the coroner’s report on the death of that girl. It raises a number of public policy issues that must be addressed by the Government, like the mandatory reporting of suspected abuse by health professionals, the collection of data on sexually transmitted diseases in young children, and the operational practices of departments, like police, health and community development. We need to go further than merely having the ministers go to their departments and respond to the specific issues raised in the report. I took the matter to my cabinet colleagues on Monday. I advise the House that the Government is drawing up the terms of reference for an inquiry that will recommend the best policy approaches to deal with matters not only raised in the coroner’s report but also relating to the broader Aboriginal community in Western Australia. We will ensure that indigenous people in Western Australia play a leading role in that inquiry. Ownership and involvement of indigenous people in this issue are central to finding a proper solution. This is not an attack on indigenous communities; this is an attack on child abuse. We on this side of the House intend to pursue that issue with vigour. I also make it abundantly clear to all government officers who have responsibilities in this area that the Government considers the leadership of the Swan Valley Nyoongah community as subject to the laws and obligations of this State, the same as any other citizen in this State. Government officers carrying out their duties properly and vigorously on behalf of the children who live in that community will have the full support of the State Government and need not fear criticism from outspoken members of the Swan Valley Nyoongah community. We will be bringing the full details of the inquiry to the House as soon as we have completed its terms of reference and we can tell the House who will be involved in the inquiry.
The death of a young person is always tragic, but in this case doubly so given the circumstances in which the young girl died and in which she appeared to have lived, according to the findings in the coroner’s report. We are very concerned about what that report tells us. We intend to take short and longer-term action to deal with the issues. As for the short-term action, I have asked the Ministers for Police, Community Development, Health and Indigenous Affairs to provide advice to me on the implications of the findings for their agencies. It is a sensitive issue, but one on which the Government must act firmly and wisely. There is an overwhelming imperative in this issue; that is, the safety and wellbeing of children like Susan Taylor. I read the coroner’s report over the weekend. It is the most shocking and disturbing document that I have read for some time. I urge all members in the House to read the coroner’s report on the death of that girl. It raises a number of public policy issues that must be addressed by the Government, like the mandatory reporting of suspected abuse by health professionals, the collection of data on sexually transmitted diseases in young children, and the operational practices of departments, like police, health and community development. We need to go further than merely having the ministers go to their departments and respond to the specific issues raised in the report. I took the matter to my cabinet colleagues on Monday. I advise the House that the Government is drawing up the terms of reference for an inquiry that will recommend the best policy approaches to deal with matters not only raised in the coroner’s report but also relating to the broader Aboriginal community in Western Australia. We will ensure that indigenous people in Western Australia play a leading role in that inquiry. Ownership and involvement of indigenous people in this issue are central to finding a proper solution. This is not an attack on indigenous communities; this is an attack on child abuse. We on this side of the House intend to pursue that issue with vigour. I also make it abundantly clear to all government officers who have responsibilities in this area that the Government considers the leadership of the Swan Valley Nyoongah community as subject to the laws and obligations of this State, the same as any other citizen in this State. Government officers carrying out their duties properly and vigorously on behalf of the children who live in that community will have the full support of the State Government and need not fear criticism from outspoken members of the Swan Valley Nyoongah community. We will be bringing the full details of the inquiry to the House as soon as we have completed its terms of reference and we can tell the House who will be involved in the inquiry.
I read the coroner’s report over the weekend. It is the most shocking and disturbing document that I have read for some time. I urge all members in the House to read the coroner’s report on the death of that girl. It raises a number of public policy issues that must be addressed by the Government, like the mandatory reporting of suspected abuse by health professionals, the collection of data on sexually transmitted diseases in young children, and the operational practices of departments, like police, health and community development. We need to go further than merely having the ministers go to their departments and respond to the specific issues raised in the report. I took the matter to my cabinet colleagues on Monday. I advise the House that the Government is drawing up the terms of reference for an inquiry that will recommend the best policy approaches to deal with matters not only raised in the coroner’s report but also relating to the broader Aboriginal community in Western Australia. We will ensure that indigenous people in Western Australia play a leading role in that inquiry. Ownership and involvement of indigenous people in this issue are central to finding a proper solution. This is not an attack on indigenous communities; this is an attack on child abuse. We on this side of the House intend to pursue that issue with vigour. I also make it abundantly clear to all government officers who have responsibilities in this area that the Government considers the leadership of the Swan Valley Nyoongah community as subject to the laws and obligations of this State, the same as any other citizen in this State. Government officers carrying out their duties properly and vigorously on behalf of the children who live in that community will have the full support of the State Government and need not fear criticism from outspoken members of the Swan Valley Nyoongah community. We will be bringing the full details of the inquiry to the House as soon as we have completed its terms of reference and we can tell the House who will be involved in the inquiry.
I took the matter to my cabinet colleagues on Monday. I advise the House that the Government is drawing up the terms of reference for an inquiry that will recommend the best policy approaches to deal with matters not only raised in the coroner’s report but also relating to the broader Aboriginal community in Western Australia. We will ensure that indigenous people in Western Australia play a leading role in that inquiry. Ownership and involvement of indigenous people in this issue are central to finding a proper solution. This is not an attack on indigenous communities; this is an attack on child abuse. We on this side of the House intend to pursue that issue with vigour. I also make it abundantly clear to all government officers who have responsibilities in this area that the Government considers the leadership of the Swan Valley Nyoongah community as subject to the laws and obligations of this State, the same as any other citizen in this State. Government officers carrying out their duties properly and vigorously on behalf of the children who live in that community will have the full support of the State Government and need not fear criticism from outspoken members of the Swan Valley Nyoongah community. We will be bringing the full details of the inquiry to the House as soon as we have completed its terms of reference and we can tell the House who will be involved in the inquiry.
I also make it abundantly clear to all government officers who have responsibilities in this area that the Government considers the leadership of the Swan Valley Nyoongah community as subject to the laws and obligations of this State, the same as any other citizen in this State. Government officers carrying out their duties properly and vigorously on behalf of the children who live in that community will have the full support of the State Government and need not fear criticism from outspoken members of the Swan Valley Nyoongah community. We will be bringing the full details of the inquiry to the House as soon as we have completed its terms of reference and we can tell the House who will be involved in the inquiry.
Dr GALLOP replied: The death of a young person is always tragic, but in this case doubly so given the circumstances in which the young girl died and in which she appeared to have lived, according to the findings in the coroner’s report. We are very concerned about what that report tells us. We intend to take short and longer-term action to deal with the issues. As for the short-term action, I have asked the Ministers for Police, Community Development, Health and Indigenous Affairs to provide advice to me on the implications of the findings for their agencies. It is a sensitive issue, but one on which the Government must act firmly and wisely. There is an overwhelming imperative in this issue; that is, the safety and wellbeing of children like Susan Taylor. I read the coroner’s report over the weekend. It is the most shocking and disturbing document that I have read for some time. I urge all members in the House to read the coroner’s report on the death of that girl. It raises a number of public policy issues that must be addressed by the Government, like the mandatory reporting of suspected abuse by health professionals, the collection of data on sexually transmitted diseases in young children, and the operational practices of departments, like police, health and community development. We need to go further than merely having the ministers go to their departments and respond to the specific issues raised in the report. I took the matter to my cabinet colleagues on Monday. I advise the House that the Government is drawing up the terms of reference for an inquiry that will recommend the best policy approaches to deal with matters not only raised in the coroner’s report but also relating to the broader Aboriginal community in Western Australia. We will ensure that indigenous people in Western Australia play a leading role in that inquiry. Ownership and involvement of indigenous people in this issue are central to finding a proper solution. This is not an attack on indigenous communities; this is an attack on child abuse. We on this side of the House intend to pursue that issue with vigour. I also make it abundantly clear to all government officers who have responsibilities in this area that the Government considers the leadership of the Swan Valley Nyoongah community as subject to the laws and obligations of this State, the same as any other citizen in this State. Government officers carrying out their duties properly and vigorously on behalf of the children who live in that community will have the full support of the State Government and need not fear criticism from outspoken members of the Swan Valley Nyoongah community. We will be bringing the full details of the inquiry to the House as soon as we have completed its terms of reference and we can tell the House who will be involved in the inquiry.
The death of a young person is always tragic, but in this case doubly so given the circumstances in which the young girl died and in which she appeared to have lived, according to the findings in the coroner’s report. We are very concerned about what that report tells us. We intend to take short and longer-term action to deal with the issues. As for the short-term action, I have asked the Ministers for Police, Community Development, Health and Indigenous Affairs to provide advice to me on the implications of the findings for their agencies. It is a sensitive issue, but one on which the Government must act firmly and wisely. There is an overwhelming imperative in this issue; that is, the safety and wellbeing of children like Susan Taylor. I read the coroner’s report over the weekend. It is the most shocking and disturbing document that I have read for some time. I urge all members in the House to read the coroner’s report on the death of that girl. It raises a number of public policy issues that must be addressed by the Government, like the mandatory reporting of suspected abuse by health professionals, the collection of data on sexually transmitted diseases in young children, and the operational practices of departments, like police, health and community development. We need to go further than merely having the ministers go to their departments and respond to the specific issues raised in the report. I took the matter to my cabinet colleagues on Monday. I advise the House that the Government is drawing up the terms of reference for an inquiry that will recommend the best policy approaches to deal with matters not only raised in the coroner’s report but also relating to the broader Aboriginal community in Western Australia. We will ensure that indigenous people in Western Australia play a leading role in that inquiry. Ownership and involvement of indigenous people in this issue are central to finding a proper solution. This is not an attack on indigenous communities; this is an attack on child abuse. We on this side of the House intend to pursue that issue with vigour. I also make it abundantly clear to all government officers who have responsibilities in this area that the Government considers the leadership of the Swan Valley Nyoongah community as subject to the laws and obligations of this State, the same as any other citizen in this State. Government officers carrying out their duties properly and vigorously on behalf of the children who live in that community will have the full support of the State Government and need not fear criticism from outspoken members of the Swan Valley Nyoongah community. We will be bringing the full details of the inquiry to the House as soon as we have completed its terms of reference and we can tell the House who will be involved in the inquiry.
I read the coroner’s report over the weekend. It is the most shocking and disturbing document that I have read for some time. I urge all members in the House to read the coroner’s report on the death of that girl. It raises a number of public policy issues that must be addressed by the Government, like the mandatory reporting of suspected abuse by health professionals, the collection of data on sexually transmitted diseases in young children, and the operational practices of departments, like police, health and community development. We need to go further than merely having the ministers go to their departments and respond to the specific issues raised in the report. I took the matter to my cabinet colleagues on Monday. I advise the House that the Government is drawing up the terms of reference for an inquiry that will recommend the best policy approaches to deal with matters not only raised in the coroner’s report but also relating to the broader Aboriginal community in Western Australia. We will ensure that indigenous people in Western Australia play a leading role in that inquiry. Ownership and involvement of indigenous people in this issue are central to finding a proper solution. This is not an attack on indigenous communities; this is an attack on child abuse. We on this side of the House intend to pursue that issue with vigour. I also make it abundantly clear to all government officers who have responsibilities in this area that the Government considers the leadership of the Swan Valley Nyoongah community as subject to the laws and obligations of this State, the same as any other citizen in this State. Government officers carrying out their duties properly and vigorously on behalf of the children who live in that community will have the full support of the State Government and need not fear criticism from outspoken members of the Swan Valley Nyoongah community. We will be bringing the full details of the inquiry to the House as soon as we have completed its terms of reference and we can tell the House who will be involved in the inquiry.
I took the matter to my cabinet colleagues on Monday. I advise the House that the Government is drawing up the terms of reference for an inquiry that will recommend the best policy approaches to deal with matters not only raised in the coroner’s report but also relating to the broader Aboriginal community in Western Australia. We will ensure that indigenous people in Western Australia play a leading role in that inquiry. Ownership and involvement of indigenous people in this issue are central to finding a proper solution. This is not an attack on indigenous communities; this is an attack on child abuse. We on this side of the House intend to pursue that issue with vigour. I also make it abundantly clear to all government officers who have responsibilities in this area that the Government considers the leadership of the Swan Valley Nyoongah community as subject to the laws and obligations of this State, the same as any other citizen in this State. Government officers carrying out their duties properly and vigorously on behalf of the children who live in that community will have the full support of the State Government and need not fear criticism from outspoken members of the Swan Valley Nyoongah community. We will be bringing the full details of the inquiry to the House as soon as we have completed its terms of reference and we can tell the House who will be involved in the inquiry.
I also make it abundantly clear to all government officers who have responsibilities in this area that the Government considers the leadership of the Swan Valley Nyoongah community as subject to the laws and obligations of this State, the same as any other citizen in this State. Government officers carrying out their duties properly and vigorously on behalf of the children who live in that community will have the full support of the State Government and need not fear criticism from outspoken members of the Swan Valley Nyoongah community. We will be bringing the full details of the inquiry to the House as soon as we have completed its terms of reference and we can tell the House who will be involved in the inquiry.
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