Mrs PRICE - 2012-10-31
Alcohol abuse can have a significant effect on families and children, in particular, children’s safety. Can you explain to the House these effects, and can you update the House on your approach to children’s services that will improve the effectiveness of your department to respond to children in need?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, this is what we should be talking about in this parliament - improving the lives of children and their families in the Northern Territory. Let us get back to core business. Despite the mess we have inherited from the former government, despite the state of the books, we need to be focused, and we are. This government is focused on providing good services. We acknowledge, when it comes to providing child protection services in the Northern Territory, you cannot not include discussion about the impact of alcohol on children and families.
There are strong links between parental alcohol abuse and child abuse. It is no surprise child protection agencies in Australia report alcohol abuse is one of the main contributors to child protection cases.
To paraphrase the Little Children are Sacred report, it is generally accepted, in national and international literature, that alcohol is a dangerous drug that can result in a wide variety of serious and physical social harms when used excessively.
We, as the new government, believe there is a place for responsible drinking. We feel there is a place for Living with Alcohol, a former program run by the Northern Territory government. The Little Children are Sacred report went on to state that when used moderately and responsibly, alcohol is a pleasurable part of our social fabric.
The effect excessive alcohol can have on children’s lives is also very well established, starting before birth with foetal alcohol syndrome. It is recognised that a very sad disproportionate number of children are being born in the Northern Territory with this terrible syndrome, and we have to address that. That is a part of our brief as government. The impact of alcohol on the developing brain of the child and adolescent is also well-documented, damaging memory, learning capabilities, and the decision-making and reasoning areas of the brain. Harmful alcohol can reduce self-control and make an individual more likely to act violently, out of control and make very bad decisions, particularly when it comes to children.
Harmful alcohol used by parents can impair their sense of responsibility, and children’s basic needs are often neglected. We know and see that in the Northern Territory through the child protection services all the time. In fact, alcohol abuse is not only a factor that increases the risk of child abuse; children who have been abused are more likely to develop harmful alcohol use behaviours later in life.
This government takes the safety of children in our community very seriously. I have made a firm commitment to child protection in the Northern Territory. The strengthening collaboration of the Office of Children and Families and the Department of Education and Children’s Services will deliver an increased focus on safety, wellbeing and education of children across the Northern Territory ...
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, your time has expired.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, this is what we should be talking about in this parliament - improving the lives of children and their families in the Northern Territory. Let us get back to core business. Despite the mess we have inherited from the former government, despite the state of the books, we need to be focused, and we are. This government is focused on providing good services. We acknowledge, when it comes to providing child protection services in the Northern Territory, you cannot not include discussion about the impact of alcohol on children and families.
There are strong links between parental alcohol abuse and child abuse. It is no surprise child protection agencies in Australia report alcohol abuse is one of the main contributors to child protection cases.
To paraphrase the Little Children are Sacred report, it is generally accepted, in national and international literature, that alcohol is a dangerous drug that can result in a wide variety of serious and physical social harms when used excessively.
We, as the new government, believe there is a place for responsible drinking. We feel there is a place for Living with Alcohol, a former program run by the Northern Territory government. The Little Children are Sacred report went on to state that when used moderately and responsibly, alcohol is a pleasurable part of our social fabric.
The effect excessive alcohol can have on children’s lives is also very well established, starting before birth with foetal alcohol syndrome. It is recognised that a very sad disproportionate number of children are being born in the Northern Territory with this terrible syndrome, and we have to address that. That is a part of our brief as government. The impact of alcohol on the developing brain of the child and adolescent is also well-documented, damaging memory, learning capabilities, and the decision-making and reasoning areas of the brain. Harmful alcohol can reduce self-control and make an individual more likely to act violently, out of control and make very bad decisions, particularly when it comes to children.
Harmful alcohol used by parents can impair their sense of responsibility, and children’s basic needs are often neglected. We know and see that in the Northern Territory through the child protection services all the time. In fact, alcohol abuse is not only a factor that increases the risk of child abuse; children who have been abused are more likely to develop harmful alcohol use behaviours later in life.
This government takes the safety of children in our community very seriously. I have made a firm commitment to child protection in the Northern Territory. The strengthening collaboration of the Office of Children and Families and the Department of Education and Children’s Services will deliver an increased focus on safety, wellbeing and education of children across the Northern Territory ...
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, your time has expired.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016