❓ A parliamentary question regarding a report of abandoned children in Laverton, and the Minister's delayed response. The Minister acknowledges the delay and outlines actions taken after the issue came to light.
AnsweredQoN 336Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ABANDONED CHILDREN, LAVERTON — GOLDFIELDS–ESPERANCE DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION REPORT
I refer to the Goldfields–Esperance Development Commission brief on abandoned children and violence and domestic violence in Laverton submitted to the minister’s office, and I quote — It was reported to me that the children initially reported living at the rubbish tip were there for some time (several weeks). … The last reported sighting of these children was by a Grader Driver … It is presumed by locals that these children are dead in the bush somewhere. (1) Noting that this report was emailed to the minister’s office on 31 January 2011, when did he personally first become aware of the report? (2) What did he do? (3) When did he refer this report to other government ministers? (4) What undertakings did he obtain from these ministers about action in response to this report? Mr B.J. GRYLLS
I refer to the Goldfields–Esperance Development Commission brief on abandoned children and violence and domestic violence in Laverton submitted to the minister’s office, and I quote — It was reported to me that the children initially reported living at the rubbish tip were there for some time (several weeks). … The last reported sighting of these children was by a Grader Driver … It is presumed by locals that these children are dead in the bush somewhere. (1) Noting that this report was emailed to the minister’s office on 31 January 2011, when did he personally first become aware of the report? (2) What did he do? (3) When did he refer this report to other government ministers? (4) What undertakings did he obtain from these ministers about action in response to this report? Mr B.J. GRYLLS
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the Leader of the Opposition for the question. (1)–(4) Obviously, all Western Australians are very concerned about what was happening in Laverton, and I am happy to say that Minister McSweeney has already visited there, and responded quickly. I will not give the Leader of the Opposition the exact day, but I think it was Friday, not last week, but the week before that, that I was first made aware of the report. As the Leader of the Opposition said, it was emailed into my office. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, it sat in your office for months and months. Mr B.J. GRYLLS : Yes, it did. It came to my office, and my staff in my office essentially noted the report but it did not come before me. As soon as we were made aware of the media around it, and through our system — Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr B.J. GRYLLS : We agree that a report of that nature should have got to me and should have been responded to. It did not. It must be remembered that that report referred to events that had already occurred and there were no circumstances that suggested that those children were currently in that circumstance. I had been to the Goldfields a few weeks before, and there had been talk about concerns in Laverton. Those concerns never got to the level of the report, as it is suggested. But I had been to the Goldfields; it was not raised with me. My parliamentary secretary, Wendy Duncan, actually sat down and spoke to the person who authored the report, and they mentioned the fact that this report had been prepared by the Goldfields–Esperance Development Commission. Again, we were very concerned about that. But the Leader of the Opposition is right: when it came to my office, it should have been responded to immediately; it was not, and, as the minister of my office, that is my responsibility. We are now aware of the issue. I was in Leonora the day after. I had thought about visiting Laverton the day after. Essentially, I was going to go to Laverton when everyone was in Leonora for the weekend. Last week, Minister McSweeney spent time in Laverton. A couple of programs that are funded by royalties for regions have allowed us to immediately respond to these child welfare issues in Laverton. Under our building program, 10 houses are under construction in Laverton. At last, housing will be available to allow extra government workers to be in Laverton to respond to those concerns. Minister McSweeney has placed a responsible parenting officer in Laverton. Two team leaders will be based in Laverton as soon as they can be appointed. As the Leader of the Opposition has suggested, that report should have been sighted by me and acted upon sooner. At the time, a lot of government agencies were meant to have been aware of it, but there was no response. We are aware now that there has been a response. Minister McSweeney has visited the town. There has been much commentary on this issue, and I welcome it. For governments of any persuasion to adequately respond to the most horrific allegations of child neglect, a partnership is needed with the local community and with the families who are affected. I do not know what we can do. It will be very hard for government to respond if a family is prepared to drop their children at the rubbish tip on their way to Kalgoorlie for whatever reason. There must be a level of mutual partnership. Governments of all persuasions are determined to do better. I am not exactly sure how we can respond to that type of circumstance. Hopefully, through our responsible parenting program, the youth justice program that we are rolling out across the state and all the work that is being done to try to build the engagement capacity of Indigenous Western Australians, we are on the path to doing better. This is another example of why there is much more to be done, and the government has quickly responded to it.
… The last reported sighting of these children was by a Grader Driver … It is presumed by locals that these children are dead in the bush somewhere.
The last reported sighting of these children was by a Grader Driver … It is presumed by locals that these children are dead in the bush somewhere.
(2) What did he do? (3) When did he refer this report to other government ministers? (4) What undertakings did he obtain from these ministers about action in response to this report? Mr B.J. GRYLLS replied: I thank the Leader of the Opposition for the question. (1)–(4) Obviously, all Western Australians are very concerned about what was happening in Laverton, and I am happy to say that Minister McSweeney has already visited there, and responded quickly. I will not give the Leader of the Opposition the exact day, but I think it was Friday, not last week, but the week before that, that I was first made aware of the report. As the Leader of the Opposition said, it was emailed into my office. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, it sat in your office for months and months. Mr B.J. GRYLLS : Yes, it did. It came to my office, and my staff in my office essentially noted the report but it did not come before me. As soon as we were made aware of the media around it, and through our system — Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr B.J. GRYLLS : We agree that a report of that nature should have got to me and should have been responded to. It did not. It must be remembered that that report referred to events that had already occurred and there were no circumstances that suggested that those children were currently in that circumstance. I had been to the Goldfields a few weeks before, and there had been talk about concerns in Laverton. Those concerns never got to the level of the report, as it is suggested. But I had been to the Goldfields; it was not raised with me. My parliamentary secretary, Wendy Duncan, actually sat down and spoke to the person who authored the report, and they mentioned the fact that this report had been prepared by the Goldfields–Esperance Development Commission. Again, we were very concerned about that. But the Leader of the Opposition is right: when it came to my office, it should have been responded to immediately; it was not, and, as the minister of my office, that is my responsibility. We are now aware of the issue. I was in Leonora the day after. I had thought about visiting Laverton the day after. Essentially, I was going to go to Laverton when everyone was in Leonora for the weekend. Last week, Minister McSweeney spent time in Laverton. A couple of programs that are funded by royalties for regions have allowed us to immediately respond to these child welfare issues in Laverton. Under our building program, 10 houses are under construction in Laverton. At last, housing will be available to allow extra government workers to be in Laverton to respond to those concerns. Minister McSweeney has placed a responsible parenting officer in Laverton. Two team leaders will be based in Laverton as soon as they can be appointed. As the Leader of the Opposition has suggested, that report should have been sighted by me and acted upon sooner. At the time, a lot of government agencies were meant to have been aware of it, but there was no response. We are aware now that there has been a response. Minister McSweeney has visited the town. There has been much commentary on this issue, and I welcome it. For governments of any persuasion to adequately respond to the most horrific allegations of child neglect, a partnership is needed with the local community and with the families who are affected. I do not know what we can do. It will be very hard for government to respond if a family is prepared to drop their children at the rubbish tip on their way to Kalgoorlie for whatever reason. There must be a level of mutual partnership. Governments of all persuasions are determined to do better. I am not exactly sure how we can respond to that type of circumstance. Hopefully, through our responsible parenting program, the youth justice program that we are rolling out across the state and all the work that is being done to try to build the engagement capacity of Indigenous Western Australians, we are on the path to doing better. This is another example of why there is much more to be done, and the government has quickly responded to it.
(3) When did he refer this report to other government ministers? (4) What undertakings did he obtain from these ministers about action in response to this report? Mr B.J. GRYLLS replied: I thank the Leader of the Opposition for the question. (1)–(4) Obviously, all Western Australians are very concerned about what was happening in Laverton, and I am happy to say that Minister McSweeney has already visited there, and responded quickly. I will not give the Leader of the Opposition the exact day, but I think it was Friday, not last week, but the week before that, that I was first made aware of the report. As the Leader of the Opposition said, it was emailed into my office. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, it sat in your office for months and months. Mr B.J. GRYLLS : Yes, it did. It came to my office, and my staff in my office essentially noted the report but it did not come before me. As soon as we were made aware of the media around it, and through our system — Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr B.J. GRYLLS : We agree that a report of that nature should have got to me and should have been responded to. It did not. It must be remembered that that report referred to events that had already occurred and there were no circumstances that suggested that those children were currently in that circumstance. I had been to the Goldfields a few weeks before, and there had been talk about concerns in Laverton. Those concerns never got to the level of the report, as it is suggested. But I had been to the Goldfields; it was not raised with me. My parliamentary secretary, Wendy Duncan, actually sat down and spoke to the person who authored the report, and they mentioned the fact that this report had been prepared by the Goldfields–Esperance Development Commission. Again, we were very concerned about that. But the Leader of the Opposition is right: when it came to my office, it should have been responded to immediately; it was not, and, as the minister of my office, that is my responsibility. We are now aware of the issue. I was in Leonora the day after. I had thought about visiting Laverton the day after. Essentially, I was going to go to Laverton when everyone was in Leonora for the weekend. Last week, Minister McSweeney spent time in Laverton. A couple of programs that are funded by royalties for regions have allowed us to immediately respond to these child welfare issues in Laverton. Under our building program, 10 houses are under construction in Laverton. At last, housing will be available to allow extra government workers to be in Laverton to respond to those concerns. Minister McSweeney has placed a responsible parenting officer in Laverton. Two team leaders will be based in Laverton as soon as they can be appointed. As the Leader of the Opposition has suggested, that report should have been sighted by me and acted upon sooner. At the time, a lot of government agencies were meant to have been aware of it, but there was no response. We are aware now that there has been a response. Minister McSweeney has visited the town. There has been much commentary on this issue, and I welcome it. For governments of any persuasion to adequately respond to the most horrific allegations of child neglect, a partnership is needed with the local community and with the families who are affected. I do not know what we can do. It will be very hard for government to respond if a family is prepared to drop their children at the rubbish tip on their way to Kalgoorlie for whatever reason. There must be a level of mutual partnership. Governments of all persuasions are determined to do better. I am not exactly sure how we can respond to that type of circumstance. Hopefully, through our responsible parenting program, the youth justice program that we are rolling out across the state and all the work that is being done to try to build the engagement capacity of Indigenous Western Australians, we are on the path to doing better. This is another example of why there is much more to be done, and the government has quickly responded to it.
(4) What undertakings did he obtain from these ministers about action in response to this report? Mr B.J. GRYLLS replied: I thank the Leader of the Opposition for the question. (1)–(4) Obviously, all Western Australians are very concerned about what was happening in Laverton, and I am happy to say that Minister McSweeney has already visited there, and responded quickly. I will not give the Leader of the Opposition the exact day, but I think it was Friday, not last week, but the week before that, that I was first made aware of the report. As the Leader of the Opposition said, it was emailed into my office. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, it sat in your office for months and months. Mr B.J. GRYLLS : Yes, it did. It came to my office, and my staff in my office essentially noted the report but it did not come before me. As soon as we were made aware of the media around it, and through our system — Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr B.J. GRYLLS : We agree that a report of that nature should have got to me and should have been responded to. It did not. It must be remembered that that report referred to events that had already occurred and there were no circumstances that suggested that those children were currently in that circumstance. I had been to the Goldfields a few weeks before, and there had been talk about concerns in Laverton. Those concerns never got to the level of the report, as it is suggested. But I had been to the Goldfields; it was not raised with me. My parliamentary secretary, Wendy Duncan, actually sat down and spoke to the person who authored the report, and they mentioned the fact that this report had been prepared by the Goldfields–Esperance Development Commission. Again, we were very concerned about that. But the Leader of the Opposition is right: when it came to my office, it should have been responded to immediately; it was not, and, as the minister of my office, that is my responsibility. We are now aware of the issue. I was in Leonora the day after. I had thought about visiting Laverton the day after. Essentially, I was going to go to Laverton when everyone was in Leonora for the weekend. Last week, Minister McSweeney spent time in Laverton. A couple of programs that are funded by royalties for regions have allowed us to immediately respond to these child welfare issues in Laverton. Under our building program, 10 houses are under construction in Laverton. At last, housing will be available to allow extra government workers to be in Laverton to respond to those concerns. Minister McSweeney has placed a responsible parenting officer in Laverton. Two team leaders will be based in Laverton as soon as they can be appointed. As the Leader of the Opposition has suggested, that report should have been sighted by me and acted upon sooner. At the time, a lot of government agencies were meant to have been aware of it, but there was no response. We are aware now that there has been a response. Minister McSweeney has visited the town. There has been much commentary on this issue, and I welcome it. For governments of any persuasion to adequately respond to the most horrific allegations of child neglect, a partnership is needed with the local community and with the families who are affected. I do not know what we can do. It will be very hard for government to respond if a family is prepared to drop their children at the rubbish tip on their way to Kalgoorlie for whatever reason. There must be a level of mutual partnership. Governments of all persuasions are determined to do better. I am not exactly sure how we can respond to that type of circumstance. Hopefully, through our responsible parenting program, the youth justice program that we are rolling out across the state and all the work that is being done to try to build the engagement capacity of Indigenous Western Australians, we are on the path to doing better. This is another example of why there is much more to be done, and the government has quickly responded to it.
Mr B.J. GRYLLS replied: I thank the Leader of the Opposition for the question. (1)–(4) Obviously, all Western Australians are very concerned about what was happening in Laverton, and I am happy to say that Minister McSweeney has already visited there, and responded quickly. I will not give the Leader of the Opposition the exact day, but I think it was Friday, not last week, but the week before that, that I was first made aware of the report. As the Leader of the Opposition said, it was emailed into my office. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, it sat in your office for months and months. Mr B.J. GRYLLS : Yes, it did. It came to my office, and my staff in my office essentially noted the report but it did not come before me. As soon as we were made aware of the media around it, and through our system — Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr B.J. GRYLLS : We agree that a report of that nature should have got to me and should have been responded to. It did not. It must be remembered that that report referred to events that had already occurred and there were no circumstances that suggested that those children were currently in that circumstance. I had been to the Goldfields a few weeks before, and there had been talk about concerns in Laverton. Those concerns never got to the level of the report, as it is suggested. But I had been to the Goldfields; it was not raised with me. My parliamentary secretary, Wendy Duncan, actually sat down and spoke to the person who authored the report, and they mentioned the fact that this report had been prepared by the Goldfields–Esperance Development Commission. Again, we were very concerned about that. But the Leader of the Opposition is right: when it came to my office, it should have been responded to immediately; it was not, and, as the minister of my office, that is my responsibility. We are now aware of the issue. I was in Leonora the day after. I had thought about visiting Laverton the day after. Essentially, I was going to go to Laverton when everyone was in Leonora for the weekend. Last week, Minister McSweeney spent time in Laverton. A couple of programs that are funded by royalties for regions have allowed us to immediately respond to these child welfare issues in Laverton. Under our building program, 10 houses are under construction in Laverton. At last, housing will be available to allow extra government workers to be in Laverton to respond to those concerns. Minister McSweeney has placed a responsible parenting officer in Laverton. Two team leaders will be based in Laverton as soon as they can be appointed. As the Leader of the Opposition has suggested, that report should have been sighted by me and acted upon sooner. At the time, a lot of government agencies were meant to have been aware of it, but there was no response. We are aware now that there has been a response. Minister McSweeney has visited the town. There has been much commentary on this issue, and I welcome it. For governments of any persuasion to adequately respond to the most horrific allegations of child neglect, a partnership is needed with the local community and with the families who are affected. I do not know what we can do. It will be very hard for government to respond if a family is prepared to drop their children at the rubbish tip on their way to Kalgoorlie for whatever reason. There must be a level of mutual partnership. Governments of all persuasions are determined to do better. I am not exactly sure how we can respond to that type of circumstance. Hopefully, through our responsible parenting program, the youth justice program that we are rolling out across the state and all the work that is being done to try to build the engagement capacity of Indigenous Western Australians, we are on the path to doing better. This is another example of why there is much more to be done, and the government has quickly responded to it.
I thank the Leader of the Opposition for the question. (1)–(4) Obviously, all Western Australians are very concerned about what was happening in Laverton, and I am happy to say that Minister McSweeney has already visited there, and responded quickly. I will not give the Leader of the Opposition the exact day, but I think it was Friday, not last week, but the week before that, that I was first made aware of the report. As the Leader of the Opposition said, it was emailed into my office. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, it sat in your office for months and months. Mr B.J. GRYLLS : Yes, it did. It came to my office, and my staff in my office essentially noted the report but it did not come before me. As soon as we were made aware of the media around it, and through our system — Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr B.J. GRYLLS : We agree that a report of that nature should have got to me and should have been responded to. It did not. It must be remembered that that report referred to events that had already occurred and there were no circumstances that suggested that those children were currently in that circumstance. I had been to the Goldfields a few weeks before, and there had been talk about concerns in Laverton. Those concerns never got to the level of the report, as it is suggested. But I had been to the Goldfields; it was not raised with me. My parliamentary secretary, Wendy Duncan, actually sat down and spoke to the person who authored the report, and they mentioned the fact that this report had been prepared by the Goldfields–Esperance Development Commission. Again, we were very concerned about that. But the Leader of the Opposition is right: when it came to my office, it should have been responded to immediately; it was not, and, as the minister of my office, that is my responsibility. We are now aware of the issue. I was in Leonora the day after. I had thought about visiting Laverton the day after. Essentially, I was going to go to Laverton when everyone was in Leonora for the weekend. Last week, Minister McSweeney spent time in Laverton. A couple of programs that are funded by royalties for regions have allowed us to immediately respond to these child welfare issues in Laverton. Under our building program, 10 houses are under construction in Laverton. At last, housing will be available to allow extra government workers to be in Laverton to respond to those concerns. Minister McSweeney has placed a responsible parenting officer in Laverton. Two team leaders will be based in Laverton as soon as they can be appointed. As the Leader of the Opposition has suggested, that report should have been sighted by me and acted upon sooner. At the time, a lot of government agencies were meant to have been aware of it, but there was no response. We are aware now that there has been a response. Minister McSweeney has visited the town. There has been much commentary on this issue, and I welcome it. For governments of any persuasion to adequately respond to the most horrific allegations of child neglect, a partnership is needed with the local community and with the families who are affected. I do not know what we can do. It will be very hard for government to respond if a family is prepared to drop their children at the rubbish tip on their way to Kalgoorlie for whatever reason. There must be a level of mutual partnership. Governments of all persuasions are determined to do better. I am not exactly sure how we can respond to that type of circumstance. Hopefully, through our responsible parenting program, the youth justice program that we are rolling out across the state and all the work that is being done to try to build the engagement capacity of Indigenous Western Australians, we are on the path to doing better. This is another example of why there is much more to be done, and the government has quickly responded to it.
(1)–(4) Obviously, all Western Australians are very concerned about what was happening in Laverton, and I am happy to say that Minister McSweeney has already visited there, and responded quickly. I will not give the Leader of the Opposition the exact day, but I think it was Friday, not last week, but the week before that, that I was first made aware of the report. As the Leader of the Opposition said, it was emailed into my office. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, it sat in your office for months and months. Mr B.J. GRYLLS : Yes, it did. It came to my office, and my staff in my office essentially noted the report but it did not come before me. As soon as we were made aware of the media around it, and through our system — Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr B.J. GRYLLS : We agree that a report of that nature should have got to me and should have been responded to. It did not. It must be remembered that that report referred to events that had already occurred and there were no circumstances that suggested that those children were currently in that circumstance. I had been to the Goldfields a few weeks before, and there had been talk about concerns in Laverton. Those concerns never got to the level of the report, as it is suggested. But I had been to the Goldfields; it was not raised with me. My parliamentary secretary, Wendy Duncan, actually sat down and spoke to the person who authored the report, and they mentioned the fact that this report had been prepared by the Goldfields–Esperance Development Commission. Again, we were very concerned about that. But the Leader of the Opposition is right: when it came to my office, it should have been responded to immediately; it was not, and, as the minister of my office, that is my responsibility. We are now aware of the issue. I was in Leonora the day after. I had thought about visiting Laverton the day after. Essentially, I was going to go to Laverton when everyone was in Leonora for the weekend. Last week, Minister McSweeney spent time in Laverton. A couple of programs that are funded by royalties for regions have allowed us to immediately respond to these child welfare issues in Laverton. Under our building program, 10 houses are under construction in Laverton. At last, housing will be available to allow extra government workers to be in Laverton to respond to those concerns. Minister McSweeney has placed a responsible parenting officer in Laverton. Two team leaders will be based in Laverton as soon as they can be appointed. As the Leader of the Opposition has suggested, that report should have been sighted by me and acted upon sooner. At the time, a lot of government agencies were meant to have been aware of it, but there was no response. We are aware now that there has been a response. Minister McSweeney has visited the town. There has been much commentary on this issue, and I welcome it. For governments of any persuasion to adequately respond to the most horrific allegations of child neglect, a partnership is needed with the local community and with the families who are affected. I do not know what we can do. It will be very hard for government to respond if a family is prepared to drop their children at the rubbish tip on their way to Kalgoorlie for whatever reason. There must be a level of mutual partnership. Governments of all persuasions are determined to do better. I am not exactly sure how we can respond to that type of circumstance. Hopefully, through our responsible parenting program, the youth justice program that we are rolling out across the state and all the work that is being done to try to build the engagement capacity of Indigenous Western Australians, we are on the path to doing better. This is another example of why there is much more to be done, and the government has quickly responded to it.
Mr E.S. Ripper : So, it sat in your office for months and months. Mr B.J. GRYLLS : Yes, it did. It came to my office, and my staff in my office essentially noted the report but it did not come before me. As soon as we were made aware of the media around it, and through our system — Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr B.J. GRYLLS : We agree that a report of that nature should have got to me and should have been responded to. It did not. It must be remembered that that report referred to events that had already occurred and there were no circumstances that suggested that those children were currently in that circumstance. I had been to the Goldfields a few weeks before, and there had been talk about concerns in Laverton. Those concerns never got to the level of the report, as it is suggested. But I had been to the Goldfields; it was not raised with me. My parliamentary secretary, Wendy Duncan, actually sat down and spoke to the person who authored the report, and they mentioned the fact that this report had been prepared by the Goldfields–Esperance Development Commission. Again, we were very concerned about that. But the Leader of the Opposition is right: when it came to my office, it should have been responded to immediately; it was not, and, as the minister of my office, that is my responsibility. We are now aware of the issue. I was in Leonora the day after. I had thought about visiting Laverton the day after. Essentially, I was going to go to Laverton when everyone was in Leonora for the weekend. Last week, Minister McSweeney spent time in Laverton. A couple of programs that are funded by royalties for regions have allowed us to immediately respond to these child welfare issues in Laverton. Under our building program, 10 houses are under construction in Laverton. At last, housing will be available to allow extra government workers to be in Laverton to respond to those concerns. Minister McSweeney has placed a responsible parenting officer in Laverton. Two team leaders will be based in Laverton as soon as they can be appointed. As the Leader of the Opposition has suggested, that report should have been sighted by me and acted upon sooner. At the time, a lot of government agencies were meant to have been aware of it, but there was no response. We are aware now that there has been a response. Minister McSweeney has visited the town. There has been much commentary on this issue, and I welcome it. For governments of any persuasion to adequately respond to the most horrific allegations of child neglect, a partnership is needed with the local community and with the families who are affected. I do not know what we can do. It will be very hard for government to respond if a family is prepared to drop their children at the rubbish tip on their way to Kalgoorlie for whatever reason. There must be a level of mutual partnership. Governments of all persuasions are determined to do better. I am not exactly sure how we can respond to that type of circumstance. Hopefully, through our responsible parenting program, the youth justice program that we are rolling out across the state and all the work that is being done to try to build the engagement capacity of Indigenous Western Australians, we are on the path to doing better. This is another example of why there is much more to be done, and the government has quickly responded to it.
Mr B.J. GRYLLS : Yes, it did. It came to my office, and my staff in my office essentially noted the report but it did not come before me. As soon as we were made aware of the media around it, and through our system — Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr B.J. GRYLLS : We agree that a report of that nature should have got to me and should have been responded to. It did not. It must be remembered that that report referred to events that had already occurred and there were no circumstances that suggested that those children were currently in that circumstance. I had been to the Goldfields a few weeks before, and there had been talk about concerns in Laverton. Those concerns never got to the level of the report, as it is suggested. But I had been to the Goldfields; it was not raised with me. My parliamentary secretary, Wendy Duncan, actually sat down and spoke to the person who authored the report, and they mentioned the fact that this report had been prepared by the Goldfields–Esperance Development Commission. Again, we were very concerned about that. But the Leader of the Opposition is right: when it came to my office, it should have been responded to immediately; it was not, and, as the minister of my office, that is my responsibility. We are now aware of the issue. I was in Leonora the day after. I had thought about visiting Laverton the day after. Essentially, I was going to go to Laverton when everyone was in Leonora for the weekend. Last week, Minister McSweeney spent time in Laverton. A couple of programs that are funded by royalties for regions have allowed us to immediately respond to these child welfare issues in Laverton. Under our building program, 10 houses are under construction in Laverton. At last, housing will be available to allow extra government workers to be in Laverton to respond to those concerns. Minister McSweeney has placed a responsible parenting officer in Laverton. Two team leaders will be based in Laverton as soon as they can be appointed. As the Leader of the Opposition has suggested, that report should have been sighted by me and acted upon sooner. At the time, a lot of government agencies were meant to have been aware of it, but there was no response. We are aware now that there has been a response. Minister McSweeney has visited the town. There has been much commentary on this issue, and I welcome it. For governments of any persuasion to adequately respond to the most horrific allegations of child neglect, a partnership is needed with the local community and with the families who are affected. I do not know what we can do. It will be very hard for government to respond if a family is prepared to drop their children at the rubbish tip on their way to Kalgoorlie for whatever reason. There must be a level of mutual partnership. Governments of all persuasions are determined to do better. I am not exactly sure how we can respond to that type of circumstance. Hopefully, through our responsible parenting program, the youth justice program that we are rolling out across the state and all the work that is being done to try to build the engagement capacity of Indigenous Western Australians, we are on the path to doing better. This is another example of why there is much more to be done, and the government has quickly responded to it.
Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr B.J. GRYLLS : We agree that a report of that nature should have got to me and should have been responded to. It did not. It must be remembered that that report referred to events that had already occurred and there were no circumstances that suggested that those children were currently in that circumstance. I had been to the Goldfields a few weeks before, and there had been talk about concerns in Laverton. Those concerns never got to the level of the report, as it is suggested. But I had been to the Goldfields; it was not raised with me. My parliamentary secretary, Wendy Duncan, actually sat down and spoke to the person who authored the report, and they mentioned the fact that this report had been prepared by the Goldfields–Esperance Development Commission. Again, we were very concerned about that. But the Leader of the Opposition is right: when it came to my office, it should have been responded to immediately; it was not, and, as the minister of my office, that is my responsibility. We are now aware of the issue. I was in Leonora the day after. I had thought about visiting Laverton the day after. Essentially, I was going to go to Laverton when everyone was in Leonora for the weekend. Last week, Minister McSweeney spent time in Laverton. A couple of programs that are funded by royalties for regions have allowed us to immediately respond to these child welfare issues in Laverton. Under our building program, 10 houses are under construction in Laverton. At last, housing will be available to allow extra government workers to be in Laverton to respond to those concerns. Minister McSweeney has placed a responsible parenting officer in Laverton. Two team leaders will be based in Laverton as soon as they can be appointed. As the Leader of the Opposition has suggested, that report should have been sighted by me and acted upon sooner. At the time, a lot of government agencies were meant to have been aware of it, but there was no response. We are aware now that there has been a response. Minister McSweeney has visited the town. There has been much commentary on this issue, and I welcome it. For governments of any persuasion to adequately respond to the most horrific allegations of child neglect, a partnership is needed with the local community and with the families who are affected. I do not know what we can do. It will be very hard for government to respond if a family is prepared to drop their children at the rubbish tip on their way to Kalgoorlie for whatever reason. There must be a level of mutual partnership. Governments of all persuasions are determined to do better. I am not exactly sure how we can respond to that type of circumstance. Hopefully, through our responsible parenting program, the youth justice program that we are rolling out across the state and all the work that is being done to try to build the engagement capacity of Indigenous Western Australians, we are on the path to doing better. This is another example of why there is much more to be done, and the government has quickly responded to it.
Mr B.J. GRYLLS : We agree that a report of that nature should have got to me and should have been responded to. It did not. It must be remembered that that report referred to events that had already occurred and there were no circumstances that suggested that those children were currently in that circumstance. I had been to the Goldfields a few weeks before, and there had been talk about concerns in Laverton. Those concerns never got to the level of the report, as it is suggested. But I had been to the Goldfields; it was not raised with me. My parliamentary secretary, Wendy Duncan, actually sat down and spoke to the person who authored the report, and they mentioned the fact that this report had been prepared by the Goldfields–Esperance Development Commission. Again, we were very concerned about that. But the Leader of the Opposition is right: when it came to my office, it should have been responded to immediately; it was not, and, as the minister of my office, that is my responsibility. We are now aware of the issue. I was in Leonora the day after. I had thought about visiting Laverton the day after. Essentially, I was going to go to Laverton when everyone was in Leonora for the weekend. Last week, Minister McSweeney spent time in Laverton. A couple of programs that are funded by royalties for regions have allowed us to immediately respond to these child welfare issues in Laverton. Under our building program, 10 houses are under construction in Laverton. At last, housing will be available to allow extra government workers to be in Laverton to respond to those concerns. Minister McSweeney has placed a responsible parenting officer in Laverton. Two team leaders will be based in Laverton as soon as they can be appointed. As the Leader of the Opposition has suggested, that report should have been sighted by me and acted upon sooner. At the time, a lot of government agencies were meant to have been aware of it, but there was no response. We are aware now that there has been a response. Minister McSweeney has visited the town. There has been much commentary on this issue, and I welcome it. For governments of any persuasion to adequately respond to the most horrific allegations of child neglect, a partnership is needed with the local community and with the families who are affected. I do not know what we can do. It will be very hard for government to respond if a family is prepared to drop their children at the rubbish tip on their way to Kalgoorlie for whatever reason. There must be a level of mutual partnership. Governments of all persuasions are determined to do better. I am not exactly sure how we can respond to that type of circumstance. Hopefully, through our responsible parenting program, the youth justice program that we are rolling out across the state and all the work that is being done to try to build the engagement capacity of Indigenous Western Australians, we are on the path to doing better. This is another example of why there is much more to be done, and the government has quickly responded to it.
There has been much commentary on this issue, and I welcome it. For governments of any persuasion to adequately respond to the most horrific allegations of child neglect, a partnership is needed with the local community and with the families who are affected. I do not know what we can do. It will be very hard for government to respond if a family is prepared to drop their children at the rubbish tip on their way to Kalgoorlie for whatever reason. There must be a level of mutual partnership. Governments of all persuasions are determined to do better. I am not exactly sure how we can respond to that type of circumstance. Hopefully, through our responsible parenting program, the youth justice program that we are rolling out across the state and all the work that is being done to try to build the engagement capacity of Indigenous Western Australians, we are on the path to doing better. This is another example of why there is much more to be done, and the government has quickly responded to it.
… The last reported sighting of these children was by a Grader Driver … It is presumed by locals that these children are dead in the bush somewhere.
The last reported sighting of these children was by a Grader Driver … It is presumed by locals that these children are dead in the bush somewhere.
(2) What did he do? (3) When did he refer this report to other government ministers? (4) What undertakings did he obtain from these ministers about action in response to this report? Mr B.J. GRYLLS replied: I thank the Leader of the Opposition for the question. (1)–(4) Obviously, all Western Australians are very concerned about what was happening in Laverton, and I am happy to say that Minister McSweeney has already visited there, and responded quickly. I will not give the Leader of the Opposition the exact day, but I think it was Friday, not last week, but the week before that, that I was first made aware of the report. As the Leader of the Opposition said, it was emailed into my office. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, it sat in your office for months and months. Mr B.J. GRYLLS : Yes, it did. It came to my office, and my staff in my office essentially noted the report but it did not come before me. As soon as we were made aware of the media around it, and through our system — Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr B.J. GRYLLS : We agree that a report of that nature should have got to me and should have been responded to. It did not. It must be remembered that that report referred to events that had already occurred and there were no circumstances that suggested that those children were currently in that circumstance. I had been to the Goldfields a few weeks before, and there had been talk about concerns in Laverton. Those concerns never got to the level of the report, as it is suggested. But I had been to the Goldfields; it was not raised with me. My parliamentary secretary, Wendy Duncan, actually sat down and spoke to the person who authored the report, and they mentioned the fact that this report had been prepared by the Goldfields–Esperance Development Commission. Again, we were very concerned about that. But the Leader of the Opposition is right: when it came to my office, it should have been responded to immediately; it was not, and, as the minister of my office, that is my responsibility. We are now aware of the issue. I was in Leonora the day after. I had thought about visiting Laverton the day after. Essentially, I was going to go to Laverton when everyone was in Leonora for the weekend. Last week, Minister McSweeney spent time in Laverton. A couple of programs that are funded by royalties for regions have allowed us to immediately respond to these child welfare issues in Laverton. Under our building program, 10 houses are under construction in Laverton. At last, housing will be available to allow extra government workers to be in Laverton to respond to those concerns. Minister McSweeney has placed a responsible parenting officer in Laverton. Two team leaders will be based in Laverton as soon as they can be appointed. As the Leader of the Opposition has suggested, that report should have been sighted by me and acted upon sooner. At the time, a lot of government agencies were meant to have been aware of it, but there was no response. We are aware now that there has been a response. Minister McSweeney has visited the town. There has been much commentary on this issue, and I welcome it. For governments of any persuasion to adequately respond to the most horrific allegations of child neglect, a partnership is needed with the local community and with the families who are affected. I do not know what we can do. It will be very hard for government to respond if a family is prepared to drop their children at the rubbish tip on their way to Kalgoorlie for whatever reason. There must be a level of mutual partnership. Governments of all persuasions are determined to do better. I am not exactly sure how we can respond to that type of circumstance. Hopefully, through our responsible parenting program, the youth justice program that we are rolling out across the state and all the work that is being done to try to build the engagement capacity of Indigenous Western Australians, we are on the path to doing better. This is another example of why there is much more to be done, and the government has quickly responded to it.
(3) When did he refer this report to other government ministers? (4) What undertakings did he obtain from these ministers about action in response to this report? Mr B.J. GRYLLS replied: I thank the Leader of the Opposition for the question. (1)–(4) Obviously, all Western Australians are very concerned about what was happening in Laverton, and I am happy to say that Minister McSweeney has already visited there, and responded quickly. I will not give the Leader of the Opposition the exact day, but I think it was Friday, not last week, but the week before that, that I was first made aware of the report. As the Leader of the Opposition said, it was emailed into my office. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, it sat in your office for months and months. Mr B.J. GRYLLS : Yes, it did. It came to my office, and my staff in my office essentially noted the report but it did not come before me. As soon as we were made aware of the media around it, and through our system — Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr B.J. GRYLLS : We agree that a report of that nature should have got to me and should have been responded to. It did not. It must be remembered that that report referred to events that had already occurred and there were no circumstances that suggested that those children were currently in that circumstance. I had been to the Goldfields a few weeks before, and there had been talk about concerns in Laverton. Those concerns never got to the level of the report, as it is suggested. But I had been to the Goldfields; it was not raised with me. My parliamentary secretary, Wendy Duncan, actually sat down and spoke to the person who authored the report, and they mentioned the fact that this report had been prepared by the Goldfields–Esperance Development Commission. Again, we were very concerned about that. But the Leader of the Opposition is right: when it came to my office, it should have been responded to immediately; it was not, and, as the minister of my office, that is my responsibility. We are now aware of the issue. I was in Leonora the day after. I had thought about visiting Laverton the day after. Essentially, I was going to go to Laverton when everyone was in Leonora for the weekend. Last week, Minister McSweeney spent time in Laverton. A couple of programs that are funded by royalties for regions have allowed us to immediately respond to these child welfare issues in Laverton. Under our building program, 10 houses are under construction in Laverton. At last, housing will be available to allow extra government workers to be in Laverton to respond to those concerns. Minister McSweeney has placed a responsible parenting officer in Laverton. Two team leaders will be based in Laverton as soon as they can be appointed. As the Leader of the Opposition has suggested, that report should have been sighted by me and acted upon sooner. At the time, a lot of government agencies were meant to have been aware of it, but there was no response. We are aware now that there has been a response. Minister McSweeney has visited the town. There has been much commentary on this issue, and I welcome it. For governments of any persuasion to adequately respond to the most horrific allegations of child neglect, a partnership is needed with the local community and with the families who are affected. I do not know what we can do. It will be very hard for government to respond if a family is prepared to drop their children at the rubbish tip on their way to Kalgoorlie for whatever reason. There must be a level of mutual partnership. Governments of all persuasions are determined to do better. I am not exactly sure how we can respond to that type of circumstance. Hopefully, through our responsible parenting program, the youth justice program that we are rolling out across the state and all the work that is being done to try to build the engagement capacity of Indigenous Western Australians, we are on the path to doing better. This is another example of why there is much more to be done, and the government has quickly responded to it.
(4) What undertakings did he obtain from these ministers about action in response to this report? Mr B.J. GRYLLS replied: I thank the Leader of the Opposition for the question. (1)–(4) Obviously, all Western Australians are very concerned about what was happening in Laverton, and I am happy to say that Minister McSweeney has already visited there, and responded quickly. I will not give the Leader of the Opposition the exact day, but I think it was Friday, not last week, but the week before that, that I was first made aware of the report. As the Leader of the Opposition said, it was emailed into my office. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, it sat in your office for months and months. Mr B.J. GRYLLS : Yes, it did. It came to my office, and my staff in my office essentially noted the report but it did not come before me. As soon as we were made aware of the media around it, and through our system — Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr B.J. GRYLLS : We agree that a report of that nature should have got to me and should have been responded to. It did not. It must be remembered that that report referred to events that had already occurred and there were no circumstances that suggested that those children were currently in that circumstance. I had been to the Goldfields a few weeks before, and there had been talk about concerns in Laverton. Those concerns never got to the level of the report, as it is suggested. But I had been to the Goldfields; it was not raised with me. My parliamentary secretary, Wendy Duncan, actually sat down and spoke to the person who authored the report, and they mentioned the fact that this report had been prepared by the Goldfields–Esperance Development Commission. Again, we were very concerned about that. But the Leader of the Opposition is right: when it came to my office, it should have been responded to immediately; it was not, and, as the minister of my office, that is my responsibility. We are now aware of the issue. I was in Leonora the day after. I had thought about visiting Laverton the day after. Essentially, I was going to go to Laverton when everyone was in Leonora for the weekend. Last week, Minister McSweeney spent time in Laverton. A couple of programs that are funded by royalties for regions have allowed us to immediately respond to these child welfare issues in Laverton. Under our building program, 10 houses are under construction in Laverton. At last, housing will be available to allow extra government workers to be in Laverton to respond to those concerns. Minister McSweeney has placed a responsible parenting officer in Laverton. Two team leaders will be based in Laverton as soon as they can be appointed. As the Leader of the Opposition has suggested, that report should have been sighted by me and acted upon sooner. At the time, a lot of government agencies were meant to have been aware of it, but there was no response. We are aware now that there has been a response. Minister McSweeney has visited the town. There has been much commentary on this issue, and I welcome it. For governments of any persuasion to adequately respond to the most horrific allegations of child neglect, a partnership is needed with the local community and with the families who are affected. I do not know what we can do. It will be very hard for government to respond if a family is prepared to drop their children at the rubbish tip on their way to Kalgoorlie for whatever reason. There must be a level of mutual partnership. Governments of all persuasions are determined to do better. I am not exactly sure how we can respond to that type of circumstance. Hopefully, through our responsible parenting program, the youth justice program that we are rolling out across the state and all the work that is being done to try to build the engagement capacity of Indigenous Western Australians, we are on the path to doing better. This is another example of why there is much more to be done, and the government has quickly responded to it.
Mr B.J. GRYLLS replied: I thank the Leader of the Opposition for the question. (1)–(4) Obviously, all Western Australians are very concerned about what was happening in Laverton, and I am happy to say that Minister McSweeney has already visited there, and responded quickly. I will not give the Leader of the Opposition the exact day, but I think it was Friday, not last week, but the week before that, that I was first made aware of the report. As the Leader of the Opposition said, it was emailed into my office. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, it sat in your office for months and months. Mr B.J. GRYLLS : Yes, it did. It came to my office, and my staff in my office essentially noted the report but it did not come before me. As soon as we were made aware of the media around it, and through our system — Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr B.J. GRYLLS : We agree that a report of that nature should have got to me and should have been responded to. It did not. It must be remembered that that report referred to events that had already occurred and there were no circumstances that suggested that those children were currently in that circumstance. I had been to the Goldfields a few weeks before, and there had been talk about concerns in Laverton. Those concerns never got to the level of the report, as it is suggested. But I had been to the Goldfields; it was not raised with me. My parliamentary secretary, Wendy Duncan, actually sat down and spoke to the person who authored the report, and they mentioned the fact that this report had been prepared by the Goldfields–Esperance Development Commission. Again, we were very concerned about that. But the Leader of the Opposition is right: when it came to my office, it should have been responded to immediately; it was not, and, as the minister of my office, that is my responsibility. We are now aware of the issue. I was in Leonora the day after. I had thought about visiting Laverton the day after. Essentially, I was going to go to Laverton when everyone was in Leonora for the weekend. Last week, Minister McSweeney spent time in Laverton. A couple of programs that are funded by royalties for regions have allowed us to immediately respond to these child welfare issues in Laverton. Under our building program, 10 houses are under construction in Laverton. At last, housing will be available to allow extra government workers to be in Laverton to respond to those concerns. Minister McSweeney has placed a responsible parenting officer in Laverton. Two team leaders will be based in Laverton as soon as they can be appointed. As the Leader of the Opposition has suggested, that report should have been sighted by me and acted upon sooner. At the time, a lot of government agencies were meant to have been aware of it, but there was no response. We are aware now that there has been a response. Minister McSweeney has visited the town. There has been much commentary on this issue, and I welcome it. For governments of any persuasion to adequately respond to the most horrific allegations of child neglect, a partnership is needed with the local community and with the families who are affected. I do not know what we can do. It will be very hard for government to respond if a family is prepared to drop their children at the rubbish tip on their way to Kalgoorlie for whatever reason. There must be a level of mutual partnership. Governments of all persuasions are determined to do better. I am not exactly sure how we can respond to that type of circumstance. Hopefully, through our responsible parenting program, the youth justice program that we are rolling out across the state and all the work that is being done to try to build the engagement capacity of Indigenous Western Australians, we are on the path to doing better. This is another example of why there is much more to be done, and the government has quickly responded to it.
I thank the Leader of the Opposition for the question. (1)–(4) Obviously, all Western Australians are very concerned about what was happening in Laverton, and I am happy to say that Minister McSweeney has already visited there, and responded quickly. I will not give the Leader of the Opposition the exact day, but I think it was Friday, not last week, but the week before that, that I was first made aware of the report. As the Leader of the Opposition said, it was emailed into my office. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, it sat in your office for months and months. Mr B.J. GRYLLS : Yes, it did. It came to my office, and my staff in my office essentially noted the report but it did not come before me. As soon as we were made aware of the media around it, and through our system — Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr B.J. GRYLLS : We agree that a report of that nature should have got to me and should have been responded to. It did not. It must be remembered that that report referred to events that had already occurred and there were no circumstances that suggested that those children were currently in that circumstance. I had been to the Goldfields a few weeks before, and there had been talk about concerns in Laverton. Those concerns never got to the level of the report, as it is suggested. But I had been to the Goldfields; it was not raised with me. My parliamentary secretary, Wendy Duncan, actually sat down and spoke to the person who authored the report, and they mentioned the fact that this report had been prepared by the Goldfields–Esperance Development Commission. Again, we were very concerned about that. But the Leader of the Opposition is right: when it came to my office, it should have been responded to immediately; it was not, and, as the minister of my office, that is my responsibility. We are now aware of the issue. I was in Leonora the day after. I had thought about visiting Laverton the day after. Essentially, I was going to go to Laverton when everyone was in Leonora for the weekend. Last week, Minister McSweeney spent time in Laverton. A couple of programs that are funded by royalties for regions have allowed us to immediately respond to these child welfare issues in Laverton. Under our building program, 10 houses are under construction in Laverton. At last, housing will be available to allow extra government workers to be in Laverton to respond to those concerns. Minister McSweeney has placed a responsible parenting officer in Laverton. Two team leaders will be based in Laverton as soon as they can be appointed. As the Leader of the Opposition has suggested, that report should have been sighted by me and acted upon sooner. At the time, a lot of government agencies were meant to have been aware of it, but there was no response. We are aware now that there has been a response. Minister McSweeney has visited the town. There has been much commentary on this issue, and I welcome it. For governments of any persuasion to adequately respond to the most horrific allegations of child neglect, a partnership is needed with the local community and with the families who are affected. I do not know what we can do. It will be very hard for government to respond if a family is prepared to drop their children at the rubbish tip on their way to Kalgoorlie for whatever reason. There must be a level of mutual partnership. Governments of all persuasions are determined to do better. I am not exactly sure how we can respond to that type of circumstance. Hopefully, through our responsible parenting program, the youth justice program that we are rolling out across the state and all the work that is being done to try to build the engagement capacity of Indigenous Western Australians, we are on the path to doing better. This is another example of why there is much more to be done, and the government has quickly responded to it.
(1)–(4) Obviously, all Western Australians are very concerned about what was happening in Laverton, and I am happy to say that Minister McSweeney has already visited there, and responded quickly. I will not give the Leader of the Opposition the exact day, but I think it was Friday, not last week, but the week before that, that I was first made aware of the report. As the Leader of the Opposition said, it was emailed into my office. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, it sat in your office for months and months. Mr B.J. GRYLLS : Yes, it did. It came to my office, and my staff in my office essentially noted the report but it did not come before me. As soon as we were made aware of the media around it, and through our system — Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr B.J. GRYLLS : We agree that a report of that nature should have got to me and should have been responded to. It did not. It must be remembered that that report referred to events that had already occurred and there were no circumstances that suggested that those children were currently in that circumstance. I had been to the Goldfields a few weeks before, and there had been talk about concerns in Laverton. Those concerns never got to the level of the report, as it is suggested. But I had been to the Goldfields; it was not raised with me. My parliamentary secretary, Wendy Duncan, actually sat down and spoke to the person who authored the report, and they mentioned the fact that this report had been prepared by the Goldfields–Esperance Development Commission. Again, we were very concerned about that. But the Leader of the Opposition is right: when it came to my office, it should have been responded to immediately; it was not, and, as the minister of my office, that is my responsibility. We are now aware of the issue. I was in Leonora the day after. I had thought about visiting Laverton the day after. Essentially, I was going to go to Laverton when everyone was in Leonora for the weekend. Last week, Minister McSweeney spent time in Laverton. A couple of programs that are funded by royalties for regions have allowed us to immediately respond to these child welfare issues in Laverton. Under our building program, 10 houses are under construction in Laverton. At last, housing will be available to allow extra government workers to be in Laverton to respond to those concerns. Minister McSweeney has placed a responsible parenting officer in Laverton. Two team leaders will be based in Laverton as soon as they can be appointed. As the Leader of the Opposition has suggested, that report should have been sighted by me and acted upon sooner. At the time, a lot of government agencies were meant to have been aware of it, but there was no response. We are aware now that there has been a response. Minister McSweeney has visited the town. There has been much commentary on this issue, and I welcome it. For governments of any persuasion to adequately respond to the most horrific allegations of child neglect, a partnership is needed with the local community and with the families who are affected. I do not know what we can do. It will be very hard for government to respond if a family is prepared to drop their children at the rubbish tip on their way to Kalgoorlie for whatever reason. There must be a level of mutual partnership. Governments of all persuasions are determined to do better. I am not exactly sure how we can respond to that type of circumstance. Hopefully, through our responsible parenting program, the youth justice program that we are rolling out across the state and all the work that is being done to try to build the engagement capacity of Indigenous Western Australians, we are on the path to doing better. This is another example of why there is much more to be done, and the government has quickly responded to it.
Mr E.S. Ripper : So, it sat in your office for months and months. Mr B.J. GRYLLS : Yes, it did. It came to my office, and my staff in my office essentially noted the report but it did not come before me. As soon as we were made aware of the media around it, and through our system — Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr B.J. GRYLLS : We agree that a report of that nature should have got to me and should have been responded to. It did not. It must be remembered that that report referred to events that had already occurred and there were no circumstances that suggested that those children were currently in that circumstance. I had been to the Goldfields a few weeks before, and there had been talk about concerns in Laverton. Those concerns never got to the level of the report, as it is suggested. But I had been to the Goldfields; it was not raised with me. My parliamentary secretary, Wendy Duncan, actually sat down and spoke to the person who authored the report, and they mentioned the fact that this report had been prepared by the Goldfields–Esperance Development Commission. Again, we were very concerned about that. But the Leader of the Opposition is right: when it came to my office, it should have been responded to immediately; it was not, and, as the minister of my office, that is my responsibility. We are now aware of the issue. I was in Leonora the day after. I had thought about visiting Laverton the day after. Essentially, I was going to go to Laverton when everyone was in Leonora for the weekend. Last week, Minister McSweeney spent time in Laverton. A couple of programs that are funded by royalties for regions have allowed us to immediately respond to these child welfare issues in Laverton. Under our building program, 10 houses are under construction in Laverton. At last, housing will be available to allow extra government workers to be in Laverton to respond to those concerns. Minister McSweeney has placed a responsible parenting officer in Laverton. Two team leaders will be based in Laverton as soon as they can be appointed. As the Leader of the Opposition has suggested, that report should have been sighted by me and acted upon sooner. At the time, a lot of government agencies were meant to have been aware of it, but there was no response. We are aware now that there has been a response. Minister McSweeney has visited the town. There has been much commentary on this issue, and I welcome it. For governments of any persuasion to adequately respond to the most horrific allegations of child neglect, a partnership is needed with the local community and with the families who are affected. I do not know what we can do. It will be very hard for government to respond if a family is prepared to drop their children at the rubbish tip on their way to Kalgoorlie for whatever reason. There must be a level of mutual partnership. Governments of all persuasions are determined to do better. I am not exactly sure how we can respond to that type of circumstance. Hopefully, through our responsible parenting program, the youth justice program that we are rolling out across the state and all the work that is being done to try to build the engagement capacity of Indigenous Western Australians, we are on the path to doing better. This is another example of why there is much more to be done, and the government has quickly responded to it.
Mr B.J. GRYLLS : Yes, it did. It came to my office, and my staff in my office essentially noted the report but it did not come before me. As soon as we were made aware of the media around it, and through our system — Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr B.J. GRYLLS : We agree that a report of that nature should have got to me and should have been responded to. It did not. It must be remembered that that report referred to events that had already occurred and there were no circumstances that suggested that those children were currently in that circumstance. I had been to the Goldfields a few weeks before, and there had been talk about concerns in Laverton. Those concerns never got to the level of the report, as it is suggested. But I had been to the Goldfields; it was not raised with me. My parliamentary secretary, Wendy Duncan, actually sat down and spoke to the person who authored the report, and they mentioned the fact that this report had been prepared by the Goldfields–Esperance Development Commission. Again, we were very concerned about that. But the Leader of the Opposition is right: when it came to my office, it should have been responded to immediately; it was not, and, as the minister of my office, that is my responsibility. We are now aware of the issue. I was in Leonora the day after. I had thought about visiting Laverton the day after. Essentially, I was going to go to Laverton when everyone was in Leonora for the weekend. Last week, Minister McSweeney spent time in Laverton. A couple of programs that are funded by royalties for regions have allowed us to immediately respond to these child welfare issues in Laverton. Under our building program, 10 houses are under construction in Laverton. At last, housing will be available to allow extra government workers to be in Laverton to respond to those concerns. Minister McSweeney has placed a responsible parenting officer in Laverton. Two team leaders will be based in Laverton as soon as they can be appointed. As the Leader of the Opposition has suggested, that report should have been sighted by me and acted upon sooner. At the time, a lot of government agencies were meant to have been aware of it, but there was no response. We are aware now that there has been a response. Minister McSweeney has visited the town. There has been much commentary on this issue, and I welcome it. For governments of any persuasion to adequately respond to the most horrific allegations of child neglect, a partnership is needed with the local community and with the families who are affected. I do not know what we can do. It will be very hard for government to respond if a family is prepared to drop their children at the rubbish tip on their way to Kalgoorlie for whatever reason. There must be a level of mutual partnership. Governments of all persuasions are determined to do better. I am not exactly sure how we can respond to that type of circumstance. Hopefully, through our responsible parenting program, the youth justice program that we are rolling out across the state and all the work that is being done to try to build the engagement capacity of Indigenous Western Australians, we are on the path to doing better. This is another example of why there is much more to be done, and the government has quickly responded to it.
Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr B.J. GRYLLS : We agree that a report of that nature should have got to me and should have been responded to. It did not. It must be remembered that that report referred to events that had already occurred and there were no circumstances that suggested that those children were currently in that circumstance. I had been to the Goldfields a few weeks before, and there had been talk about concerns in Laverton. Those concerns never got to the level of the report, as it is suggested. But I had been to the Goldfields; it was not raised with me. My parliamentary secretary, Wendy Duncan, actually sat down and spoke to the person who authored the report, and they mentioned the fact that this report had been prepared by the Goldfields–Esperance Development Commission. Again, we were very concerned about that. But the Leader of the Opposition is right: when it came to my office, it should have been responded to immediately; it was not, and, as the minister of my office, that is my responsibility. We are now aware of the issue. I was in Leonora the day after. I had thought about visiting Laverton the day after. Essentially, I was going to go to Laverton when everyone was in Leonora for the weekend. Last week, Minister McSweeney spent time in Laverton. A couple of programs that are funded by royalties for regions have allowed us to immediately respond to these child welfare issues in Laverton. Under our building program, 10 houses are under construction in Laverton. At last, housing will be available to allow extra government workers to be in Laverton to respond to those concerns. Minister McSweeney has placed a responsible parenting officer in Laverton. Two team leaders will be based in Laverton as soon as they can be appointed. As the Leader of the Opposition has suggested, that report should have been sighted by me and acted upon sooner. At the time, a lot of government agencies were meant to have been aware of it, but there was no response. We are aware now that there has been a response. Minister McSweeney has visited the town. There has been much commentary on this issue, and I welcome it. For governments of any persuasion to adequately respond to the most horrific allegations of child neglect, a partnership is needed with the local community and with the families who are affected. I do not know what we can do. It will be very hard for government to respond if a family is prepared to drop their children at the rubbish tip on their way to Kalgoorlie for whatever reason. There must be a level of mutual partnership. Governments of all persuasions are determined to do better. I am not exactly sure how we can respond to that type of circumstance. Hopefully, through our responsible parenting program, the youth justice program that we are rolling out across the state and all the work that is being done to try to build the engagement capacity of Indigenous Western Australians, we are on the path to doing better. This is another example of why there is much more to be done, and the government has quickly responded to it.
Mr B.J. GRYLLS : We agree that a report of that nature should have got to me and should have been responded to. It did not. It must be remembered that that report referred to events that had already occurred and there were no circumstances that suggested that those children were currently in that circumstance. I had been to the Goldfields a few weeks before, and there had been talk about concerns in Laverton. Those concerns never got to the level of the report, as it is suggested. But I had been to the Goldfields; it was not raised with me. My parliamentary secretary, Wendy Duncan, actually sat down and spoke to the person who authored the report, and they mentioned the fact that this report had been prepared by the Goldfields–Esperance Development Commission. Again, we were very concerned about that. But the Leader of the Opposition is right: when it came to my office, it should have been responded to immediately; it was not, and, as the minister of my office, that is my responsibility. We are now aware of the issue. I was in Leonora the day after. I had thought about visiting Laverton the day after. Essentially, I was going to go to Laverton when everyone was in Leonora for the weekend. Last week, Minister McSweeney spent time in Laverton. A couple of programs that are funded by royalties for regions have allowed us to immediately respond to these child welfare issues in Laverton. Under our building program, 10 houses are under construction in Laverton. At last, housing will be available to allow extra government workers to be in Laverton to respond to those concerns. Minister McSweeney has placed a responsible parenting officer in Laverton. Two team leaders will be based in Laverton as soon as they can be appointed. As the Leader of the Opposition has suggested, that report should have been sighted by me and acted upon sooner. At the time, a lot of government agencies were meant to have been aware of it, but there was no response. We are aware now that there has been a response. Minister McSweeney has visited the town. There has been much commentary on this issue, and I welcome it. For governments of any persuasion to adequately respond to the most horrific allegations of child neglect, a partnership is needed with the local community and with the families who are affected. I do not know what we can do. It will be very hard for government to respond if a family is prepared to drop their children at the rubbish tip on their way to Kalgoorlie for whatever reason. There must be a level of mutual partnership. Governments of all persuasions are determined to do better. I am not exactly sure how we can respond to that type of circumstance. Hopefully, through our responsible parenting program, the youth justice program that we are rolling out across the state and all the work that is being done to try to build the engagement capacity of Indigenous Western Australians, we are on the path to doing better. This is another example of why there is much more to be done, and the government has quickly responded to it.
There has been much commentary on this issue, and I welcome it. For governments of any persuasion to adequately respond to the most horrific allegations of child neglect, a partnership is needed with the local community and with the families who are affected. I do not know what we can do. It will be very hard for government to respond if a family is prepared to drop their children at the rubbish tip on their way to Kalgoorlie for whatever reason. There must be a level of mutual partnership. Governments of all persuasions are determined to do better. I am not exactly sure how we can respond to that type of circumstance. Hopefully, through our responsible parenting program, the youth justice program that we are rolling out across the state and all the work that is being done to try to build the engagement capacity of Indigenous Western Australians, we are on the path to doing better. This is another example of why there is much more to be done, and the government has quickly responded to it.
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