Ms MOSS - 2015-12-03
The Department of Children and Families and the Children’s Commissioner’s annual reports show the tsunami of need has returned and your department is struggling under the demand. The accepted standard of beginning priority one investigations is within 24 hours. Last year 156 children assessed as priority one - child in danger – were not investigated within the required 24 hours. You failed the accepted standard. Will you admit that your incompetence and mismanagement of child protection is placing these children in danger?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, do not take the member for Casuarina at face value because she quotes reports. The last time she stood up in this place she said the department had lowered the number of priority one responses from 100% to 85% as a target. That is not true. She is adept, even in her young age in parliament, at learning the Labor habit of misleading Territorians …
Ms Fyles: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order.
Mr ELFERINK: … in relation to how they deal with things. I invite the member to look at the former government’s performance in this area because you will find it had similar problems. There is a tendency amongst the members opposite to say, ‘We will rescue these children and bring them to a utopian state where they will be behind a white picket fence. And the foster mother will come out and say, “Come, children, it is lunchtime”, “Oh, yes, foster mother”, and they will go off and have lunch together.’ That is the image they are trying to portray.
This is the real world. These children come from abusive, neglectful backgrounds, and because of this government’s courage to demand that notifications are pursued, we have seen an increase of up to 17 000 notifications from police. Those increased notifications lead to an increase in investigations. We are better notified of the reality, more of the notifications are investigated and this leads to a small number of substantiations. Substantiation is what matters because that is the actual event.
Of the 17 000 notifications in the Children’s Commissioner’s annual report, just under 2000 led to substantiations.
Ms Fyles: You failed 156 kids.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr ELFERINK: We have to investigate those matters in a timely fashion, and we make every …
Members interjecting.
Mr ELFERINK: If they are not interested in the answer, I will not give it to them.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I welcome in the gallery Dr Chris Burns, a former minister of various portfolios. Welcome to Parliament House.
Members: Hear, hear!
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, do not take the member for Casuarina at face value because she quotes reports. The last time she stood up in this place she said the department had lowered the number of priority one responses from 100% to 85% as a target. That is not true. She is adept, even in her young age in parliament, at learning the Labor habit of misleading Territorians …
Ms Fyles: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order.
Mr ELFERINK: … in relation to how they deal with things. I invite the member to look at the former government’s performance in this area because you will find it had similar problems. There is a tendency amongst the members opposite to say, ‘We will rescue these children and bring them to a utopian state where they will be behind a white picket fence. And the foster mother will come out and say, “Come, children, it is lunchtime”, “Oh, yes, foster mother”, and they will go off and have lunch together.’ That is the image they are trying to portray.
This is the real world. These children come from abusive, neglectful backgrounds, and because of this government’s courage to demand that notifications are pursued, we have seen an increase of up to 17 000 notifications from police. Those increased notifications lead to an increase in investigations. We are better notified of the reality, more of the notifications are investigated and this leads to a small number of substantiations. Substantiation is what matters because that is the actual event.
Of the 17 000 notifications in the Children’s Commissioner’s annual report, just under 2000 led to substantiations.
Ms Fyles: You failed 156 kids.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr ELFERINK: We have to investigate those matters in a timely fashion, and we make every …
Members interjecting.
Mr ELFERINK: If they are not interested in the answer, I will not give it to them.
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Distinguished Visitor
Distinguished Visitor
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I welcome in the gallery Dr Chris Burns, a former minister of various portfolios. Welcome to Parliament House.
Members: Hear, hear!
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016