❓ A parliamentary question addresses access for child protection officers to the Oombulgurri Aboriginal community, revealing a memorandum of understanding requiring permission for entry, with exceptions for urgent cases. It also clarifies departmental case numbers.
AnsweredQoN 433Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
OOMBULGURRI ABORIGINAL ASSOCIATION — CHILD PROTECTION OFFICERS
I refer to the Oombulgurri Aboriginal Association preventing child protection officers from entering the community throughout 2005. (1) Why did child protection officers need to get permission from the Oombulgurri council before entering the community when they have the right to enter any other non-Aboriginal community in Western Australia? (2) Do child protection officers need to get permission to enter all Aboriginal communities; and, if not all, which ones, and why? (3) How many active cases does the department have in Oombulgurri? Hon SUE ELLERY
I refer to the Oombulgurri Aboriginal Association preventing child protection officers from entering the community throughout 2005. (1) Why did child protection officers need to get permission from the Oombulgurri council before entering the community when they have the right to enter any other non-Aboriginal community in Western Australia? (2) Do child protection officers need to get permission to enter all Aboriginal communities; and, if not all, which ones, and why? (3) How many active cases does the department have in Oombulgurri? Hon SUE ELLERY
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. (1) The memorandum of understanding between the then Department for Community Development and the Oombulgurri community at that time agreed that staff from the department would seek permission from Oombulgurri council before visiting the community. However, in situations when it was likely that a child would be placed at further risk by seeking permission to visit, the right to enter the community without prior notification to the council was reserved. (2) No. (3) Currently the Department for Community Development has a total of seven active cases in Oombulgurri. An additional eight children from the Oombulgurri community are in the department’s care and are placed elsewhere.
(1) Why did child protection officers need to get permission from the Oombulgurri council before entering the community when they have the right to enter any other non-Aboriginal community in Western Australia? (2) Do child protection officers need to get permission to enter all Aboriginal communities; and, if not all, which ones, and why? (3) How many active cases does the department have in Oombulgurri? Hon SUE ELLERY replied: I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. (1) The memorandum of understanding between the then Department for Community Development and the Oombulgurri community at that time agreed that staff from the department would seek permission from Oombulgurri council before visiting the community. However, in situations when it was likely that a child would be placed at further risk by seeking permission to visit, the right to enter the community without prior notification to the council was reserved. (2) No. (3) Currently the Department for Community Development has a total of seven active cases in Oombulgurri. An additional eight children from the Oombulgurri community are in the department’s care and are placed elsewhere.
(2) Do child protection officers need to get permission to enter all Aboriginal communities; and, if not all, which ones, and why? (3) How many active cases does the department have in Oombulgurri? Hon SUE ELLERY replied: I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. (1) The memorandum of understanding between the then Department for Community Development and the Oombulgurri community at that time agreed that staff from the department would seek permission from Oombulgurri council before visiting the community. However, in situations when it was likely that a child would be placed at further risk by seeking permission to visit, the right to enter the community without prior notification to the council was reserved. (2) No. (3) Currently the Department for Community Development has a total of seven active cases in Oombulgurri. An additional eight children from the Oombulgurri community are in the department’s care and are placed elsewhere.
(3) How many active cases does the department have in Oombulgurri? Hon SUE ELLERY replied: I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. (1) The memorandum of understanding between the then Department for Community Development and the Oombulgurri community at that time agreed that staff from the department would seek permission from Oombulgurri council before visiting the community. However, in situations when it was likely that a child would be placed at further risk by seeking permission to visit, the right to enter the community without prior notification to the council was reserved. (2) No. (3) Currently the Department for Community Development has a total of seven active cases in Oombulgurri. An additional eight children from the Oombulgurri community are in the department’s care and are placed elsewhere.
Hon SUE ELLERY replied: I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. (1) The memorandum of understanding between the then Department for Community Development and the Oombulgurri community at that time agreed that staff from the department would seek permission from Oombulgurri council before visiting the community. However, in situations when it was likely that a child would be placed at further risk by seeking permission to visit, the right to enter the community without prior notification to the council was reserved. (2) No. (3) Currently the Department for Community Development has a total of seven active cases in Oombulgurri. An additional eight children from the Oombulgurri community are in the department’s care and are placed elsewhere.
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. (1) The memorandum of understanding between the then Department for Community Development and the Oombulgurri community at that time agreed that staff from the department would seek permission from Oombulgurri council before visiting the community. However, in situations when it was likely that a child would be placed at further risk by seeking permission to visit, the right to enter the community without prior notification to the council was reserved. (2) No. (3) Currently the Department for Community Development has a total of seven active cases in Oombulgurri. An additional eight children from the Oombulgurri community are in the department’s care and are placed elsewhere.
(1) The memorandum of understanding between the then Department for Community Development and the Oombulgurri community at that time agreed that staff from the department would seek permission from Oombulgurri council before visiting the community. However, in situations when it was likely that a child would be placed at further risk by seeking permission to visit, the right to enter the community without prior notification to the council was reserved. (2) No. (3) Currently the Department for Community Development has a total of seven active cases in Oombulgurri. An additional eight children from the Oombulgurri community are in the department’s care and are placed elsewhere.
(2) No. (3) Currently the Department for Community Development has a total of seven active cases in Oombulgurri. An additional eight children from the Oombulgurri community are in the department’s care and are placed elsewhere.
(3) Currently the Department for Community Development has a total of seven active cases in Oombulgurri. An additional eight children from the Oombulgurri community are in the department’s care and are placed elsewhere.
(1) Why did child protection officers need to get permission from the Oombulgurri council before entering the community when they have the right to enter any other non-Aboriginal community in Western Australia? (2) Do child protection officers need to get permission to enter all Aboriginal communities; and, if not all, which ones, and why? (3) How many active cases does the department have in Oombulgurri? Hon SUE ELLERY replied: I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. (1) The memorandum of understanding between the then Department for Community Development and the Oombulgurri community at that time agreed that staff from the department would seek permission from Oombulgurri council before visiting the community. However, in situations when it was likely that a child would be placed at further risk by seeking permission to visit, the right to enter the community without prior notification to the council was reserved. (2) No. (3) Currently the Department for Community Development has a total of seven active cases in Oombulgurri. An additional eight children from the Oombulgurri community are in the department’s care and are placed elsewhere.
(2) Do child protection officers need to get permission to enter all Aboriginal communities; and, if not all, which ones, and why? (3) How many active cases does the department have in Oombulgurri? Hon SUE ELLERY replied: I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. (1) The memorandum of understanding between the then Department for Community Development and the Oombulgurri community at that time agreed that staff from the department would seek permission from Oombulgurri council before visiting the community. However, in situations when it was likely that a child would be placed at further risk by seeking permission to visit, the right to enter the community without prior notification to the council was reserved. (2) No. (3) Currently the Department for Community Development has a total of seven active cases in Oombulgurri. An additional eight children from the Oombulgurri community are in the department’s care and are placed elsewhere.
(3) How many active cases does the department have in Oombulgurri? Hon SUE ELLERY replied: I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. (1) The memorandum of understanding between the then Department for Community Development and the Oombulgurri community at that time agreed that staff from the department would seek permission from Oombulgurri council before visiting the community. However, in situations when it was likely that a child would be placed at further risk by seeking permission to visit, the right to enter the community without prior notification to the council was reserved. (2) No. (3) Currently the Department for Community Development has a total of seven active cases in Oombulgurri. An additional eight children from the Oombulgurri community are in the department’s care and are placed elsewhere.
Hon SUE ELLERY replied: I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. (1) The memorandum of understanding between the then Department for Community Development and the Oombulgurri community at that time agreed that staff from the department would seek permission from Oombulgurri council before visiting the community. However, in situations when it was likely that a child would be placed at further risk by seeking permission to visit, the right to enter the community without prior notification to the council was reserved. (2) No. (3) Currently the Department for Community Development has a total of seven active cases in Oombulgurri. An additional eight children from the Oombulgurri community are in the department’s care and are placed elsewhere.
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. (1) The memorandum of understanding between the then Department for Community Development and the Oombulgurri community at that time agreed that staff from the department would seek permission from Oombulgurri council before visiting the community. However, in situations when it was likely that a child would be placed at further risk by seeking permission to visit, the right to enter the community without prior notification to the council was reserved. (2) No. (3) Currently the Department for Community Development has a total of seven active cases in Oombulgurri. An additional eight children from the Oombulgurri community are in the department’s care and are placed elsewhere.
(1) The memorandum of understanding between the then Department for Community Development and the Oombulgurri community at that time agreed that staff from the department would seek permission from Oombulgurri council before visiting the community. However, in situations when it was likely that a child would be placed at further risk by seeking permission to visit, the right to enter the community without prior notification to the council was reserved. (2) No. (3) Currently the Department for Community Development has a total of seven active cases in Oombulgurri. An additional eight children from the Oombulgurri community are in the department’s care and are placed elsewhere.
(2) No. (3) Currently the Department for Community Development has a total of seven active cases in Oombulgurri. An additional eight children from the Oombulgurri community are in the department’s care and are placed elsewhere.
(3) Currently the Department for Community Development has a total of seven active cases in Oombulgurri. An additional eight children from the Oombulgurri community are in the department’s care and are placed elsewhere.
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