❓ Opposition questions alleged budget cuts to Child Protection amidst rising numbers of children in care. Treasurer defends government's increased funding and reforms to address a dysfunctional system inherited from the previous government.
AnsweredQoN 321Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
STATE BUDGET 2015–16 — DEPARTMENT
FOR CHILD PROTECTION AND FAMILY SUPPORT
321. Mr M. McGOWAN to the Treasurer:
I refer to the government's
poor financial management and reports that it is slashing the budget of the
Department for Child Protection and Family Support in the face of a 40 per cent
increase in the number of children in care and more than 650 at-risk children
already on the waitlist for a caseworker.
(1) How many
extra children will be put on the waiting list if the government is not willing
to fund the department under the current formula?
(2) Why is the
government so willing to punish vulnerable children for its poor financial
management?
FOR CHILD PROTECTION AND FAMILY SUPPORT
321. Mr M. McGOWAN to the Treasurer:
I refer to the government's
poor financial management and reports that it is slashing the budget of the
Department for Child Protection and Family Support in the face of a 40 per cent
increase in the number of children in care and more than 650 at-risk children
already on the waitlist for a caseworker.
(1) How many
extra children will be put on the waiting list if the government is not willing
to fund the department under the current formula?
(2) Why is the
government so willing to punish vulnerable children for its poor financial
management?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
was not in this place at the time, but I have been told reliably that under the
previous government one of the real halls of shame was in fact its management
of child protection. When we came into government, we dealt with a whole raft
of issues. In fact, we have increased the funding for child protection to the
tune of 77 per cent—a 77 per cent increase. The Leader of the
Opposition calls that slashing and burning; I call it a substantial increase in
investment. As a result of that there has been a substantial increase in the
number of children under various types of state protection—indeed, a 40
per cent increase. That says something. It should not happen, but it had to
happen. There has been a 77 per cent increase in funding and a 40 per cent
increase in the protection of children. There is a whole raft of problems going
out. In the agency efficiency review we are not slashing and burning, we are
trying to go down to the granular factors of how the department works and how
to do it better. When we came in, the system was clearly dysfunctional. We made
a massive investment in it in terms of money, staff and organisations, and we
are going to improve on that. That is what is called good fiscal management.
was not in this place at the time, but I have been told reliably that under the
previous government one of the real halls of shame was in fact its management
of child protection. When we came into government, we dealt with a whole raft
of issues. In fact, we have increased the funding for child protection to the
tune of 77 per cent—a 77 per cent increase. The Leader of the
Opposition calls that slashing and burning; I call it a substantial increase in
investment. As a result of that there has been a substantial increase in the
number of children under various types of state protection—indeed, a 40
per cent increase. That says something. It should not happen, but it had to
happen. There has been a 77 per cent increase in funding and a 40 per cent
increase in the protection of children. There is a whole raft of problems going
out. In the agency efficiency review we are not slashing and burning, we are
trying to go down to the granular factors of how the department works and how
to do it better. When we came in, the system was clearly dysfunctional. We made
a massive investment in it in terms of money, staff and organisations, and we
are going to improve on that. That is what is called good fiscal management.
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