❓ A parliamentary question addresses concerns about vulnerable Aboriginal children in Onslow, WA, including truancy, crime, and abuse, and questions the government's response, specifically the closure of an Indigenous Affairs office and staffing levels. The Minister's response defends the government's actions and criticizes the opposition.
AnsweredQoN 749Legislative Assembly
Asked
4 June 2003
Member
Portfolio
Community Development, Women’s Interests, Seniors and Youth
QuestionView source ↗
I refer the minister to her media statement dated 11 April 2003 in which she states that new child protection workers will enhance the department’s capacity to help protect vulnerable Aboriginal children and women, many of whom live in remote communities. (1) Is the minister aware of concerns of senior police in Onslow that Aboriginal children as young as seven are truanting from school, as young as 11 are committing burglaries to steal alcohol and as young as nine are wandering the streets looking for food, and that Aboriginal children are being sexually abused in their communities? (2) Can the minister inform the House why her Government has closed the Department of Indigenous Affairs office in Onslow, why the single Department for Community Development officer in the town was not replaced for three weeks when on leave, and why the minister has rejected repeated calls from police for an additional child protection worker in the town? (3) Will the minister now take her portfolio seriously and act immediately to ensure that children in this Aboriginal community are protected, or is she interested simply in a public relations exercise? Ms S.M. McHALE
AnswerView source ↗
(1)-(3) This is the Liberal face - the care and compassion of the Liberal Party! It is absolutely extraordinary. The answer to the first question is yes, and the answer to the second question is the Minister for Indigenous Affairs answered that question yesterday. Once again, the Opposition cannot get the basic information correct. The position is that we have a full-time officer in Onslow. That person went on leave for two weeks. We have advertised two more positions in Onslow. It is galling to sit in this House day after day and have to listen to the carping from the member for Nedlands. She has no idea. The reason she has no idea is that she does not bother to take the time to find out just how serious this Government is about family and domestic violence. I will take this opportunity to inform the member for Nedlands as to just what we are doing and how we are approaching the funding and the new positions for child protection workers. Ms S.E. Walker interjected. Ms S.M. McHALE: It would be useful if the member for Nedlands remained silent for 30 seconds. To implement the Government’s response to the Gordon inquiry, 25 new child protection workers will be employed statewide. Ms S.E. Walker: They are not going to Onslow! The SPEAKER: Order! Ms S.M. McHALE: The member for Nedlands is clearly not interested in knowing what is going on, so I will say it very simply, because she is not going to sit still for 30 seconds. We have been working with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission statewide, and talking to the regional chair and the commissioners about the best place to locate the new workers. Let me make this point clear: on the one hand, under eight years of members opposite in government, not one new position - The SPEAKER: Order, member for Nedlands! Ms S.M. McHALE: However, in the first two years of our Government, we have increased the number of positions by 50. I refer to child protection workers, Aboriginal supporter workers and family support workers. We are moving forward at a pace not seen under previous Governments. The reason for this progress is very simple: the Government understands the complexity of child abuse and family violence. It is tackled not by a public relations campaign, but through painstaking work among communities with people who are bruised, hurting and feeling disempowered. We have invested in the community in a way that the Opposition does not even understand. Child protection workers are being placed in 15 country areas in the Pilbara, Kimberley, Murchison and goldfields. Importantly, two new field officers will be in Onslow to complement the current staff there. The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for the Nedlands to order, and the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time.
(1) Is the minister aware of concerns of senior police in Onslow that Aboriginal children as young as seven are truanting from school, as young as 11 are committing burglaries to steal alcohol and as young as nine are wandering the streets looking for food, and that Aboriginal children are being sexually abused in their communities? (2) Can the minister inform the House why her Government has closed the Department of Indigenous Affairs office in Onslow, why the single Department for Community Development officer in the town was not replaced for three weeks when on leave, and why the minister has rejected repeated calls from police for an additional child protection worker in the town? (3) Will the minister now take her portfolio seriously and act immediately to ensure that children in this Aboriginal community are protected, or is she interested simply in a public relations exercise? Ms S.M. McHALE replied: (1)-(3) This is the Liberal face - the care and compassion of the Liberal Party! It is absolutely extraordinary. The answer to the first question is yes, and the answer to the second question is the Minister for Indigenous Affairs answered that question yesterday. Once again, the Opposition cannot get the basic information correct. The position is that we have a full-time officer in Onslow. That person went on leave for two weeks. We have advertised two more positions in Onslow. It is galling to sit in this House day after day and have to listen to the carping from the member for Nedlands. She has no idea. The reason she has no idea is that she does not bother to take the time to find out just how serious this Government is about family and domestic violence. I will take this opportunity to inform the member for Nedlands as to just what we are doing and how we are approaching the funding and the new positions for child protection workers. Ms S.E. Walker interjected. Ms S.M. McHALE: It would be useful if the member for Nedlands remained silent for 30 seconds. To implement the Government’s response to the Gordon inquiry, 25 new child protection workers will be employed statewide. Ms S.E. Walker: They are not going to Onslow! The SPEAKER: Order! Ms S.M. McHALE: The member for Nedlands is clearly not interested in knowing what is going on, so I will say it very simply, because she is not going to sit still for 30 seconds. We have been working with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission statewide, and talking to the regional chair and the commissioners about the best place to locate the new workers. Let me make this point clear: on the one hand, under eight years of members opposite in government, not one new position - The SPEAKER: Order, member for Nedlands! Ms S.M. McHALE: However, in the first two years of our Government, we have increased the number of positions by 50. I refer to child protection workers, Aboriginal supporter workers and family support workers. We are moving forward at a pace not seen under previous Governments. The reason for this progress is very simple: the Government understands the complexity of child abuse and family violence. It is tackled not by a public relations campaign, but through painstaking work among communities with people who are bruised, hurting and feeling disempowered. We have invested in the community in a way that the Opposition does not even understand. Child protection workers are being placed in 15 country areas in the Pilbara, Kimberley, Murchison and goldfields. Importantly, two new field officers will be in Onslow to complement the current staff there. The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for the Nedlands to order, and the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time.
(2) Can the minister inform the House why her Government has closed the Department of Indigenous Affairs office in Onslow, why the single Department for Community Development officer in the town was not replaced for three weeks when on leave, and why the minister has rejected repeated calls from police for an additional child protection worker in the town? (3) Will the minister now take her portfolio seriously and act immediately to ensure that children in this Aboriginal community are protected, or is she interested simply in a public relations exercise? Ms S.M. McHALE replied: (1)-(3) This is the Liberal face - the care and compassion of the Liberal Party! It is absolutely extraordinary. The answer to the first question is yes, and the answer to the second question is the Minister for Indigenous Affairs answered that question yesterday. Once again, the Opposition cannot get the basic information correct. The position is that we have a full-time officer in Onslow. That person went on leave for two weeks. We have advertised two more positions in Onslow. It is galling to sit in this House day after day and have to listen to the carping from the member for Nedlands. She has no idea. The reason she has no idea is that she does not bother to take the time to find out just how serious this Government is about family and domestic violence. I will take this opportunity to inform the member for Nedlands as to just what we are doing and how we are approaching the funding and the new positions for child protection workers. Ms S.E. Walker interjected. Ms S.M. McHALE: It would be useful if the member for Nedlands remained silent for 30 seconds. To implement the Government’s response to the Gordon inquiry, 25 new child protection workers will be employed statewide. Ms S.E. Walker: They are not going to Onslow! The SPEAKER: Order! Ms S.M. McHALE: The member for Nedlands is clearly not interested in knowing what is going on, so I will say it very simply, because she is not going to sit still for 30 seconds. We have been working with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission statewide, and talking to the regional chair and the commissioners about the best place to locate the new workers. Let me make this point clear: on the one hand, under eight years of members opposite in government, not one new position - The SPEAKER: Order, member for Nedlands! Ms S.M. McHALE: However, in the first two years of our Government, we have increased the number of positions by 50. I refer to child protection workers, Aboriginal supporter workers and family support workers. We are moving forward at a pace not seen under previous Governments. The reason for this progress is very simple: the Government understands the complexity of child abuse and family violence. It is tackled not by a public relations campaign, but through painstaking work among communities with people who are bruised, hurting and feeling disempowered. We have invested in the community in a way that the Opposition does not even understand. Child protection workers are being placed in 15 country areas in the Pilbara, Kimberley, Murchison and goldfields. Importantly, two new field officers will be in Onslow to complement the current staff there. The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for the Nedlands to order, and the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time.
(3) Will the minister now take her portfolio seriously and act immediately to ensure that children in this Aboriginal community are protected, or is she interested simply in a public relations exercise? Ms S.M. McHALE replied: (1)-(3) This is the Liberal face - the care and compassion of the Liberal Party! It is absolutely extraordinary. The answer to the first question is yes, and the answer to the second question is the Minister for Indigenous Affairs answered that question yesterday. Once again, the Opposition cannot get the basic information correct. The position is that we have a full-time officer in Onslow. That person went on leave for two weeks. We have advertised two more positions in Onslow. It is galling to sit in this House day after day and have to listen to the carping from the member for Nedlands. She has no idea. The reason she has no idea is that she does not bother to take the time to find out just how serious this Government is about family and domestic violence. I will take this opportunity to inform the member for Nedlands as to just what we are doing and how we are approaching the funding and the new positions for child protection workers. Ms S.E. Walker interjected. Ms S.M. McHALE: It would be useful if the member for Nedlands remained silent for 30 seconds. To implement the Government’s response to the Gordon inquiry, 25 new child protection workers will be employed statewide. Ms S.E. Walker: They are not going to Onslow! The SPEAKER: Order! Ms S.M. McHALE: The member for Nedlands is clearly not interested in knowing what is going on, so I will say it very simply, because she is not going to sit still for 30 seconds. We have been working with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission statewide, and talking to the regional chair and the commissioners about the best place to locate the new workers. Let me make this point clear: on the one hand, under eight years of members opposite in government, not one new position - The SPEAKER: Order, member for Nedlands! Ms S.M. McHALE: However, in the first two years of our Government, we have increased the number of positions by 50. I refer to child protection workers, Aboriginal supporter workers and family support workers. We are moving forward at a pace not seen under previous Governments. The reason for this progress is very simple: the Government understands the complexity of child abuse and family violence. It is tackled not by a public relations campaign, but through painstaking work among communities with people who are bruised, hurting and feeling disempowered. We have invested in the community in a way that the Opposition does not even understand. Child protection workers are being placed in 15 country areas in the Pilbara, Kimberley, Murchison and goldfields. Importantly, two new field officers will be in Onslow to complement the current staff there. The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for the Nedlands to order, and the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time.
Ms S.M. McHALE replied: (1)-(3) This is the Liberal face - the care and compassion of the Liberal Party! It is absolutely extraordinary. The answer to the first question is yes, and the answer to the second question is the Minister for Indigenous Affairs answered that question yesterday. Once again, the Opposition cannot get the basic information correct. The position is that we have a full-time officer in Onslow. That person went on leave for two weeks. We have advertised two more positions in Onslow. It is galling to sit in this House day after day and have to listen to the carping from the member for Nedlands. She has no idea. The reason she has no idea is that she does not bother to take the time to find out just how serious this Government is about family and domestic violence. I will take this opportunity to inform the member for Nedlands as to just what we are doing and how we are approaching the funding and the new positions for child protection workers. Ms S.E. Walker interjected. Ms S.M. McHALE: It would be useful if the member for Nedlands remained silent for 30 seconds. To implement the Government’s response to the Gordon inquiry, 25 new child protection workers will be employed statewide. Ms S.E. Walker: They are not going to Onslow! The SPEAKER: Order! Ms S.M. McHALE: The member for Nedlands is clearly not interested in knowing what is going on, so I will say it very simply, because she is not going to sit still for 30 seconds. We have been working with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission statewide, and talking to the regional chair and the commissioners about the best place to locate the new workers. Let me make this point clear: on the one hand, under eight years of members opposite in government, not one new position - The SPEAKER: Order, member for Nedlands! Ms S.M. McHALE: However, in the first two years of our Government, we have increased the number of positions by 50. I refer to child protection workers, Aboriginal supporter workers and family support workers. We are moving forward at a pace not seen under previous Governments. The reason for this progress is very simple: the Government understands the complexity of child abuse and family violence. It is tackled not by a public relations campaign, but through painstaking work among communities with people who are bruised, hurting and feeling disempowered. We have invested in the community in a way that the Opposition does not even understand. Child protection workers are being placed in 15 country areas in the Pilbara, Kimberley, Murchison and goldfields. Importantly, two new field officers will be in Onslow to complement the current staff there. The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for the Nedlands to order, and the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time.
(1)-(3) This is the Liberal face - the care and compassion of the Liberal Party! It is absolutely extraordinary. The answer to the first question is yes, and the answer to the second question is the Minister for Indigenous Affairs answered that question yesterday. Once again, the Opposition cannot get the basic information correct. The position is that we have a full-time officer in Onslow. That person went on leave for two weeks. We have advertised two more positions in Onslow. It is galling to sit in this House day after day and have to listen to the carping from the member for Nedlands. She has no idea. The reason she has no idea is that she does not bother to take the time to find out just how serious this Government is about family and domestic violence. I will take this opportunity to inform the member for Nedlands as to just what we are doing and how we are approaching the funding and the new positions for child protection workers. Ms S.E. Walker interjected. Ms S.M. McHALE: It would be useful if the member for Nedlands remained silent for 30 seconds. To implement the Government’s response to the Gordon inquiry, 25 new child protection workers will be employed statewide. Ms S.E. Walker: They are not going to Onslow! The SPEAKER: Order! Ms S.M. McHALE: The member for Nedlands is clearly not interested in knowing what is going on, so I will say it very simply, because she is not going to sit still for 30 seconds. We have been working with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission statewide, and talking to the regional chair and the commissioners about the best place to locate the new workers. Let me make this point clear: on the one hand, under eight years of members opposite in government, not one new position - The SPEAKER: Order, member for Nedlands! Ms S.M. McHALE: However, in the first two years of our Government, we have increased the number of positions by 50. I refer to child protection workers, Aboriginal supporter workers and family support workers. We are moving forward at a pace not seen under previous Governments. The reason for this progress is very simple: the Government understands the complexity of child abuse and family violence. It is tackled not by a public relations campaign, but through painstaking work among communities with people who are bruised, hurting and feeling disempowered. We have invested in the community in a way that the Opposition does not even understand. Child protection workers are being placed in 15 country areas in the Pilbara, Kimberley, Murchison and goldfields. Importantly, two new field officers will be in Onslow to complement the current staff there. The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for the Nedlands to order, and the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time.
Ms S.E. Walker interjected. Ms S.M. McHALE: It would be useful if the member for Nedlands remained silent for 30 seconds. To implement the Government’s response to the Gordon inquiry, 25 new child protection workers will be employed statewide. Ms S.E. Walker: They are not going to Onslow! The SPEAKER: Order! Ms S.M. McHALE: The member for Nedlands is clearly not interested in knowing what is going on, so I will say it very simply, because she is not going to sit still for 30 seconds. We have been working with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission statewide, and talking to the regional chair and the commissioners about the best place to locate the new workers. Let me make this point clear: on the one hand, under eight years of members opposite in government, not one new position - The SPEAKER: Order, member for Nedlands! Ms S.M. McHALE: However, in the first two years of our Government, we have increased the number of positions by 50. I refer to child protection workers, Aboriginal supporter workers and family support workers. We are moving forward at a pace not seen under previous Governments. The reason for this progress is very simple: the Government understands the complexity of child abuse and family violence. It is tackled not by a public relations campaign, but through painstaking work among communities with people who are bruised, hurting and feeling disempowered. We have invested in the community in a way that the Opposition does not even understand. Child protection workers are being placed in 15 country areas in the Pilbara, Kimberley, Murchison and goldfields. Importantly, two new field officers will be in Onslow to complement the current staff there. The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for the Nedlands to order, and the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time.
Ms S.M. McHALE: It would be useful if the member for Nedlands remained silent for 30 seconds. To implement the Government’s response to the Gordon inquiry, 25 new child protection workers will be employed statewide. Ms S.E. Walker: They are not going to Onslow! The SPEAKER: Order! Ms S.M. McHALE: The member for Nedlands is clearly not interested in knowing what is going on, so I will say it very simply, because she is not going to sit still for 30 seconds. We have been working with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission statewide, and talking to the regional chair and the commissioners about the best place to locate the new workers. Let me make this point clear: on the one hand, under eight years of members opposite in government, not one new position - The SPEAKER: Order, member for Nedlands! Ms S.M. McHALE: However, in the first two years of our Government, we have increased the number of positions by 50. I refer to child protection workers, Aboriginal supporter workers and family support workers. We are moving forward at a pace not seen under previous Governments. The reason for this progress is very simple: the Government understands the complexity of child abuse and family violence. It is tackled not by a public relations campaign, but through painstaking work among communities with people who are bruised, hurting and feeling disempowered. We have invested in the community in a way that the Opposition does not even understand. Child protection workers are being placed in 15 country areas in the Pilbara, Kimberley, Murchison and goldfields. Importantly, two new field officers will be in Onslow to complement the current staff there. The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for the Nedlands to order, and the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time.
Ms S.E. Walker: They are not going to Onslow! The SPEAKER: Order! Ms S.M. McHALE: The member for Nedlands is clearly not interested in knowing what is going on, so I will say it very simply, because she is not going to sit still for 30 seconds. We have been working with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission statewide, and talking to the regional chair and the commissioners about the best place to locate the new workers. Let me make this point clear: on the one hand, under eight years of members opposite in government, not one new position - The SPEAKER: Order, member for Nedlands! Ms S.M. McHALE: However, in the first two years of our Government, we have increased the number of positions by 50. I refer to child protection workers, Aboriginal supporter workers and family support workers. We are moving forward at a pace not seen under previous Governments. The reason for this progress is very simple: the Government understands the complexity of child abuse and family violence. It is tackled not by a public relations campaign, but through painstaking work among communities with people who are bruised, hurting and feeling disempowered. We have invested in the community in a way that the Opposition does not even understand. Child protection workers are being placed in 15 country areas in the Pilbara, Kimberley, Murchison and goldfields. Importantly, two new field officers will be in Onslow to complement the current staff there. The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for the Nedlands to order, and the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time.
The SPEAKER: Order! Ms S.M. McHALE: The member for Nedlands is clearly not interested in knowing what is going on, so I will say it very simply, because she is not going to sit still for 30 seconds. We have been working with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission statewide, and talking to the regional chair and the commissioners about the best place to locate the new workers. Let me make this point clear: on the one hand, under eight years of members opposite in government, not one new position - The SPEAKER: Order, member for Nedlands! Ms S.M. McHALE: However, in the first two years of our Government, we have increased the number of positions by 50. I refer to child protection workers, Aboriginal supporter workers and family support workers. We are moving forward at a pace not seen under previous Governments. The reason for this progress is very simple: the Government understands the complexity of child abuse and family violence. It is tackled not by a public relations campaign, but through painstaking work among communities with people who are bruised, hurting and feeling disempowered. We have invested in the community in a way that the Opposition does not even understand. Child protection workers are being placed in 15 country areas in the Pilbara, Kimberley, Murchison and goldfields. Importantly, two new field officers will be in Onslow to complement the current staff there. The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for the Nedlands to order, and the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time.
Ms S.M. McHALE: The member for Nedlands is clearly not interested in knowing what is going on, so I will say it very simply, because she is not going to sit still for 30 seconds. We have been working with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission statewide, and talking to the regional chair and the commissioners about the best place to locate the new workers. Let me make this point clear: on the one hand, under eight years of members opposite in government, not one new position - The SPEAKER: Order, member for Nedlands! Ms S.M. McHALE: However, in the first two years of our Government, we have increased the number of positions by 50. I refer to child protection workers, Aboriginal supporter workers and family support workers. We are moving forward at a pace not seen under previous Governments. The reason for this progress is very simple: the Government understands the complexity of child abuse and family violence. It is tackled not by a public relations campaign, but through painstaking work among communities with people who are bruised, hurting and feeling disempowered. We have invested in the community in a way that the Opposition does not even understand. Child protection workers are being placed in 15 country areas in the Pilbara, Kimberley, Murchison and goldfields. Importantly, two new field officers will be in Onslow to complement the current staff there. The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for the Nedlands to order, and the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time.
The SPEAKER: Order, member for Nedlands! Ms S.M. McHALE: However, in the first two years of our Government, we have increased the number of positions by 50. I refer to child protection workers, Aboriginal supporter workers and family support workers. We are moving forward at a pace not seen under previous Governments. The reason for this progress is very simple: the Government understands the complexity of child abuse and family violence. It is tackled not by a public relations campaign, but through painstaking work among communities with people who are bruised, hurting and feeling disempowered. We have invested in the community in a way that the Opposition does not even understand. Child protection workers are being placed in 15 country areas in the Pilbara, Kimberley, Murchison and goldfields. Importantly, two new field officers will be in Onslow to complement the current staff there. The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for the Nedlands to order, and the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time.
Ms S.M. McHALE: However, in the first two years of our Government, we have increased the number of positions by 50. I refer to child protection workers, Aboriginal supporter workers and family support workers. We are moving forward at a pace not seen under previous Governments. The reason for this progress is very simple: the Government understands the complexity of child abuse and family violence. It is tackled not by a public relations campaign, but through painstaking work among communities with people who are bruised, hurting and feeling disempowered. We have invested in the community in a way that the Opposition does not even understand. Child protection workers are being placed in 15 country areas in the Pilbara, Kimberley, Murchison and goldfields. Importantly, two new field officers will be in Onslow to complement the current staff there. The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for the Nedlands to order, and the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time.
The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for the Nedlands to order, and the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time.
(1) Is the minister aware of concerns of senior police in Onslow that Aboriginal children as young as seven are truanting from school, as young as 11 are committing burglaries to steal alcohol and as young as nine are wandering the streets looking for food, and that Aboriginal children are being sexually abused in their communities? (2) Can the minister inform the House why her Government has closed the Department of Indigenous Affairs office in Onslow, why the single Department for Community Development officer in the town was not replaced for three weeks when on leave, and why the minister has rejected repeated calls from police for an additional child protection worker in the town? (3) Will the minister now take her portfolio seriously and act immediately to ensure that children in this Aboriginal community are protected, or is she interested simply in a public relations exercise? Ms S.M. McHALE replied: (1)-(3) This is the Liberal face - the care and compassion of the Liberal Party! It is absolutely extraordinary. The answer to the first question is yes, and the answer to the second question is the Minister for Indigenous Affairs answered that question yesterday. Once again, the Opposition cannot get the basic information correct. The position is that we have a full-time officer in Onslow. That person went on leave for two weeks. We have advertised two more positions in Onslow. It is galling to sit in this House day after day and have to listen to the carping from the member for Nedlands. She has no idea. The reason she has no idea is that she does not bother to take the time to find out just how serious this Government is about family and domestic violence. I will take this opportunity to inform the member for Nedlands as to just what we are doing and how we are approaching the funding and the new positions for child protection workers. Ms S.E. Walker interjected. Ms S.M. McHALE: It would be useful if the member for Nedlands remained silent for 30 seconds. To implement the Government’s response to the Gordon inquiry, 25 new child protection workers will be employed statewide. Ms S.E. Walker: They are not going to Onslow! The SPEAKER: Order! Ms S.M. McHALE: The member for Nedlands is clearly not interested in knowing what is going on, so I will say it very simply, because she is not going to sit still for 30 seconds. We have been working with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission statewide, and talking to the regional chair and the commissioners about the best place to locate the new workers. Let me make this point clear: on the one hand, under eight years of members opposite in government, not one new position - The SPEAKER: Order, member for Nedlands! Ms S.M. McHALE: However, in the first two years of our Government, we have increased the number of positions by 50. I refer to child protection workers, Aboriginal supporter workers and family support workers. We are moving forward at a pace not seen under previous Governments. The reason for this progress is very simple: the Government understands the complexity of child abuse and family violence. It is tackled not by a public relations campaign, but through painstaking work among communities with people who are bruised, hurting and feeling disempowered. We have invested in the community in a way that the Opposition does not even understand. Child protection workers are being placed in 15 country areas in the Pilbara, Kimberley, Murchison and goldfields. Importantly, two new field officers will be in Onslow to complement the current staff there. The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for the Nedlands to order, and the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time.
(2) Can the minister inform the House why her Government has closed the Department of Indigenous Affairs office in Onslow, why the single Department for Community Development officer in the town was not replaced for three weeks when on leave, and why the minister has rejected repeated calls from police for an additional child protection worker in the town? (3) Will the minister now take her portfolio seriously and act immediately to ensure that children in this Aboriginal community are protected, or is she interested simply in a public relations exercise? Ms S.M. McHALE replied: (1)-(3) This is the Liberal face - the care and compassion of the Liberal Party! It is absolutely extraordinary. The answer to the first question is yes, and the answer to the second question is the Minister for Indigenous Affairs answered that question yesterday. Once again, the Opposition cannot get the basic information correct. The position is that we have a full-time officer in Onslow. That person went on leave for two weeks. We have advertised two more positions in Onslow. It is galling to sit in this House day after day and have to listen to the carping from the member for Nedlands. She has no idea. The reason she has no idea is that she does not bother to take the time to find out just how serious this Government is about family and domestic violence. I will take this opportunity to inform the member for Nedlands as to just what we are doing and how we are approaching the funding and the new positions for child protection workers. Ms S.E. Walker interjected. Ms S.M. McHALE: It would be useful if the member for Nedlands remained silent for 30 seconds. To implement the Government’s response to the Gordon inquiry, 25 new child protection workers will be employed statewide. Ms S.E. Walker: They are not going to Onslow! The SPEAKER: Order! Ms S.M. McHALE: The member for Nedlands is clearly not interested in knowing what is going on, so I will say it very simply, because she is not going to sit still for 30 seconds. We have been working with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission statewide, and talking to the regional chair and the commissioners about the best place to locate the new workers. Let me make this point clear: on the one hand, under eight years of members opposite in government, not one new position - The SPEAKER: Order, member for Nedlands! Ms S.M. McHALE: However, in the first two years of our Government, we have increased the number of positions by 50. I refer to child protection workers, Aboriginal supporter workers and family support workers. We are moving forward at a pace not seen under previous Governments. The reason for this progress is very simple: the Government understands the complexity of child abuse and family violence. It is tackled not by a public relations campaign, but through painstaking work among communities with people who are bruised, hurting and feeling disempowered. We have invested in the community in a way that the Opposition does not even understand. Child protection workers are being placed in 15 country areas in the Pilbara, Kimberley, Murchison and goldfields. Importantly, two new field officers will be in Onslow to complement the current staff there. The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for the Nedlands to order, and the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time.
(3) Will the minister now take her portfolio seriously and act immediately to ensure that children in this Aboriginal community are protected, or is she interested simply in a public relations exercise? Ms S.M. McHALE replied: (1)-(3) This is the Liberal face - the care and compassion of the Liberal Party! It is absolutely extraordinary. The answer to the first question is yes, and the answer to the second question is the Minister for Indigenous Affairs answered that question yesterday. Once again, the Opposition cannot get the basic information correct. The position is that we have a full-time officer in Onslow. That person went on leave for two weeks. We have advertised two more positions in Onslow. It is galling to sit in this House day after day and have to listen to the carping from the member for Nedlands. She has no idea. The reason she has no idea is that she does not bother to take the time to find out just how serious this Government is about family and domestic violence. I will take this opportunity to inform the member for Nedlands as to just what we are doing and how we are approaching the funding and the new positions for child protection workers. Ms S.E. Walker interjected. Ms S.M. McHALE: It would be useful if the member for Nedlands remained silent for 30 seconds. To implement the Government’s response to the Gordon inquiry, 25 new child protection workers will be employed statewide. Ms S.E. Walker: They are not going to Onslow! The SPEAKER: Order! Ms S.M. McHALE: The member for Nedlands is clearly not interested in knowing what is going on, so I will say it very simply, because she is not going to sit still for 30 seconds. We have been working with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission statewide, and talking to the regional chair and the commissioners about the best place to locate the new workers. Let me make this point clear: on the one hand, under eight years of members opposite in government, not one new position - The SPEAKER: Order, member for Nedlands! Ms S.M. McHALE: However, in the first two years of our Government, we have increased the number of positions by 50. I refer to child protection workers, Aboriginal supporter workers and family support workers. We are moving forward at a pace not seen under previous Governments. The reason for this progress is very simple: the Government understands the complexity of child abuse and family violence. It is tackled not by a public relations campaign, but through painstaking work among communities with people who are bruised, hurting and feeling disempowered. We have invested in the community in a way that the Opposition does not even understand. Child protection workers are being placed in 15 country areas in the Pilbara, Kimberley, Murchison and goldfields. Importantly, two new field officers will be in Onslow to complement the current staff there. The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for the Nedlands to order, and the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time.
Ms S.M. McHALE replied: (1)-(3) This is the Liberal face - the care and compassion of the Liberal Party! It is absolutely extraordinary. The answer to the first question is yes, and the answer to the second question is the Minister for Indigenous Affairs answered that question yesterday. Once again, the Opposition cannot get the basic information correct. The position is that we have a full-time officer in Onslow. That person went on leave for two weeks. We have advertised two more positions in Onslow. It is galling to sit in this House day after day and have to listen to the carping from the member for Nedlands. She has no idea. The reason she has no idea is that she does not bother to take the time to find out just how serious this Government is about family and domestic violence. I will take this opportunity to inform the member for Nedlands as to just what we are doing and how we are approaching the funding and the new positions for child protection workers. Ms S.E. Walker interjected. Ms S.M. McHALE: It would be useful if the member for Nedlands remained silent for 30 seconds. To implement the Government’s response to the Gordon inquiry, 25 new child protection workers will be employed statewide. Ms S.E. Walker: They are not going to Onslow! The SPEAKER: Order! Ms S.M. McHALE: The member for Nedlands is clearly not interested in knowing what is going on, so I will say it very simply, because she is not going to sit still for 30 seconds. We have been working with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission statewide, and talking to the regional chair and the commissioners about the best place to locate the new workers. Let me make this point clear: on the one hand, under eight years of members opposite in government, not one new position - The SPEAKER: Order, member for Nedlands! Ms S.M. McHALE: However, in the first two years of our Government, we have increased the number of positions by 50. I refer to child protection workers, Aboriginal supporter workers and family support workers. We are moving forward at a pace not seen under previous Governments. The reason for this progress is very simple: the Government understands the complexity of child abuse and family violence. It is tackled not by a public relations campaign, but through painstaking work among communities with people who are bruised, hurting and feeling disempowered. We have invested in the community in a way that the Opposition does not even understand. Child protection workers are being placed in 15 country areas in the Pilbara, Kimberley, Murchison and goldfields. Importantly, two new field officers will be in Onslow to complement the current staff there. The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for the Nedlands to order, and the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time.
(1)-(3) This is the Liberal face - the care and compassion of the Liberal Party! It is absolutely extraordinary. The answer to the first question is yes, and the answer to the second question is the Minister for Indigenous Affairs answered that question yesterday. Once again, the Opposition cannot get the basic information correct. The position is that we have a full-time officer in Onslow. That person went on leave for two weeks. We have advertised two more positions in Onslow. It is galling to sit in this House day after day and have to listen to the carping from the member for Nedlands. She has no idea. The reason she has no idea is that she does not bother to take the time to find out just how serious this Government is about family and domestic violence. I will take this opportunity to inform the member for Nedlands as to just what we are doing and how we are approaching the funding and the new positions for child protection workers. Ms S.E. Walker interjected. Ms S.M. McHALE: It would be useful if the member for Nedlands remained silent for 30 seconds. To implement the Government’s response to the Gordon inquiry, 25 new child protection workers will be employed statewide. Ms S.E. Walker: They are not going to Onslow! The SPEAKER: Order! Ms S.M. McHALE: The member for Nedlands is clearly not interested in knowing what is going on, so I will say it very simply, because she is not going to sit still for 30 seconds. We have been working with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission statewide, and talking to the regional chair and the commissioners about the best place to locate the new workers. Let me make this point clear: on the one hand, under eight years of members opposite in government, not one new position - The SPEAKER: Order, member for Nedlands! Ms S.M. McHALE: However, in the first two years of our Government, we have increased the number of positions by 50. I refer to child protection workers, Aboriginal supporter workers and family support workers. We are moving forward at a pace not seen under previous Governments. The reason for this progress is very simple: the Government understands the complexity of child abuse and family violence. It is tackled not by a public relations campaign, but through painstaking work among communities with people who are bruised, hurting and feeling disempowered. We have invested in the community in a way that the Opposition does not even understand. Child protection workers are being placed in 15 country areas in the Pilbara, Kimberley, Murchison and goldfields. Importantly, two new field officers will be in Onslow to complement the current staff there. The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for the Nedlands to order, and the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time.
Ms S.E. Walker interjected. Ms S.M. McHALE: It would be useful if the member for Nedlands remained silent for 30 seconds. To implement the Government’s response to the Gordon inquiry, 25 new child protection workers will be employed statewide. Ms S.E. Walker: They are not going to Onslow! The SPEAKER: Order! Ms S.M. McHALE: The member for Nedlands is clearly not interested in knowing what is going on, so I will say it very simply, because she is not going to sit still for 30 seconds. We have been working with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission statewide, and talking to the regional chair and the commissioners about the best place to locate the new workers. Let me make this point clear: on the one hand, under eight years of members opposite in government, not one new position - The SPEAKER: Order, member for Nedlands! Ms S.M. McHALE: However, in the first two years of our Government, we have increased the number of positions by 50. I refer to child protection workers, Aboriginal supporter workers and family support workers. We are moving forward at a pace not seen under previous Governments. The reason for this progress is very simple: the Government understands the complexity of child abuse and family violence. It is tackled not by a public relations campaign, but through painstaking work among communities with people who are bruised, hurting and feeling disempowered. We have invested in the community in a way that the Opposition does not even understand. Child protection workers are being placed in 15 country areas in the Pilbara, Kimberley, Murchison and goldfields. Importantly, two new field officers will be in Onslow to complement the current staff there. The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for the Nedlands to order, and the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time.
Ms S.M. McHALE: It would be useful if the member for Nedlands remained silent for 30 seconds. To implement the Government’s response to the Gordon inquiry, 25 new child protection workers will be employed statewide. Ms S.E. Walker: They are not going to Onslow! The SPEAKER: Order! Ms S.M. McHALE: The member for Nedlands is clearly not interested in knowing what is going on, so I will say it very simply, because she is not going to sit still for 30 seconds. We have been working with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission statewide, and talking to the regional chair and the commissioners about the best place to locate the new workers. Let me make this point clear: on the one hand, under eight years of members opposite in government, not one new position - The SPEAKER: Order, member for Nedlands! Ms S.M. McHALE: However, in the first two years of our Government, we have increased the number of positions by 50. I refer to child protection workers, Aboriginal supporter workers and family support workers. We are moving forward at a pace not seen under previous Governments. The reason for this progress is very simple: the Government understands the complexity of child abuse and family violence. It is tackled not by a public relations campaign, but through painstaking work among communities with people who are bruised, hurting and feeling disempowered. We have invested in the community in a way that the Opposition does not even understand. Child protection workers are being placed in 15 country areas in the Pilbara, Kimberley, Murchison and goldfields. Importantly, two new field officers will be in Onslow to complement the current staff there. The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for the Nedlands to order, and the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time.
Ms S.E. Walker: They are not going to Onslow! The SPEAKER: Order! Ms S.M. McHALE: The member for Nedlands is clearly not interested in knowing what is going on, so I will say it very simply, because she is not going to sit still for 30 seconds. We have been working with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission statewide, and talking to the regional chair and the commissioners about the best place to locate the new workers. Let me make this point clear: on the one hand, under eight years of members opposite in government, not one new position - The SPEAKER: Order, member for Nedlands! Ms S.M. McHALE: However, in the first two years of our Government, we have increased the number of positions by 50. I refer to child protection workers, Aboriginal supporter workers and family support workers. We are moving forward at a pace not seen under previous Governments. The reason for this progress is very simple: the Government understands the complexity of child abuse and family violence. It is tackled not by a public relations campaign, but through painstaking work among communities with people who are bruised, hurting and feeling disempowered. We have invested in the community in a way that the Opposition does not even understand. Child protection workers are being placed in 15 country areas in the Pilbara, Kimberley, Murchison and goldfields. Importantly, two new field officers will be in Onslow to complement the current staff there. The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for the Nedlands to order, and the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time.
The SPEAKER: Order! Ms S.M. McHALE: The member for Nedlands is clearly not interested in knowing what is going on, so I will say it very simply, because she is not going to sit still for 30 seconds. We have been working with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission statewide, and talking to the regional chair and the commissioners about the best place to locate the new workers. Let me make this point clear: on the one hand, under eight years of members opposite in government, not one new position - The SPEAKER: Order, member for Nedlands! Ms S.M. McHALE: However, in the first two years of our Government, we have increased the number of positions by 50. I refer to child protection workers, Aboriginal supporter workers and family support workers. We are moving forward at a pace not seen under previous Governments. The reason for this progress is very simple: the Government understands the complexity of child abuse and family violence. It is tackled not by a public relations campaign, but through painstaking work among communities with people who are bruised, hurting and feeling disempowered. We have invested in the community in a way that the Opposition does not even understand. Child protection workers are being placed in 15 country areas in the Pilbara, Kimberley, Murchison and goldfields. Importantly, two new field officers will be in Onslow to complement the current staff there. The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for the Nedlands to order, and the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time.
Ms S.M. McHALE: The member for Nedlands is clearly not interested in knowing what is going on, so I will say it very simply, because she is not going to sit still for 30 seconds. We have been working with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission statewide, and talking to the regional chair and the commissioners about the best place to locate the new workers. Let me make this point clear: on the one hand, under eight years of members opposite in government, not one new position - The SPEAKER: Order, member for Nedlands! Ms S.M. McHALE: However, in the first two years of our Government, we have increased the number of positions by 50. I refer to child protection workers, Aboriginal supporter workers and family support workers. We are moving forward at a pace not seen under previous Governments. The reason for this progress is very simple: the Government understands the complexity of child abuse and family violence. It is tackled not by a public relations campaign, but through painstaking work among communities with people who are bruised, hurting and feeling disempowered. We have invested in the community in a way that the Opposition does not even understand. Child protection workers are being placed in 15 country areas in the Pilbara, Kimberley, Murchison and goldfields. Importantly, two new field officers will be in Onslow to complement the current staff there. The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for the Nedlands to order, and the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time.
The SPEAKER: Order, member for Nedlands! Ms S.M. McHALE: However, in the first two years of our Government, we have increased the number of positions by 50. I refer to child protection workers, Aboriginal supporter workers and family support workers. We are moving forward at a pace not seen under previous Governments. The reason for this progress is very simple: the Government understands the complexity of child abuse and family violence. It is tackled not by a public relations campaign, but through painstaking work among communities with people who are bruised, hurting and feeling disempowered. We have invested in the community in a way that the Opposition does not even understand. Child protection workers are being placed in 15 country areas in the Pilbara, Kimberley, Murchison and goldfields. Importantly, two new field officers will be in Onslow to complement the current staff there. The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for the Nedlands to order, and the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time.
Ms S.M. McHALE: However, in the first two years of our Government, we have increased the number of positions by 50. I refer to child protection workers, Aboriginal supporter workers and family support workers. We are moving forward at a pace not seen under previous Governments. The reason for this progress is very simple: the Government understands the complexity of child abuse and family violence. It is tackled not by a public relations campaign, but through painstaking work among communities with people who are bruised, hurting and feeling disempowered. We have invested in the community in a way that the Opposition does not even understand. Child protection workers are being placed in 15 country areas in the Pilbara, Kimberley, Murchison and goldfields. Importantly, two new field officers will be in Onslow to complement the current staff there. The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for the Nedlands to order, and the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time.
The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for the Nedlands to order, and the member for Warren-Blackwood to order for the second time.
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