Ms FYLES - 2012-11-29
Your only achievement in child protection so far is to remove all independent scrutiny. You are sweeping child abuse back under the carpet. In opposition you promised to increase foster care payments. Do you guarantee in your mini-budget next week you will increase the funding for all foster carers to accommodate additional Power and Water charges, and do you promise to continue funding for SAF,T, which provides vital child protection services in the bush?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nightcliff for her question. Yes, we have been in government for 14 weeks now and we have made some changes to the way we manage the business of child protection in the Northern Territory. We have merged Education and Children and Family Services into one agency and we are very proud of this. We see great potential outcomes from this integration of the two services.
I remember last year the former Labor government made a monumental decision to increase foster care payments for Northern Territory foster carers. They had not received a pay increase for many years. So, to hear the member for Nightcliff talk about foster care payments …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! You have not answered the question. Go to the question about whether foster care payments will rise in the mini-budget and will you continue to fund SAF,T!
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, please be seated.
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The points of order being called are precisely the ones you warned the House about. I ask you to remind members of your warning.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, you have the call.
Mrs LAMBLEY: Madam Speaker, the former Labor government did not increase foster payments for many years. Off the top of my head, six years rings a bell. It is extremely hypocritical that the member for Nightcliff would even raise this issue in parliament. It was an extreme embarrassment to the former Labor government at that time.
I will answer the question the member for Nightcliff has raised. We do not intend to cut funding to SAF,T. We have looked at the funding given to non-government organisations by the Office of Children and Families. The exact nature of their funding arrangements beyond the mini-budget will be made public next week. However, we do not intend to cease funding to SAF,T. We never said that and do not intend to do that.
Foster care payments were increased last year - the first increase for many years. We have not considered, 14 weeks into government, the option of increasing foster payments. It has not been put to us again because they recently had an increase. If Foster Care NT presents an argument that its payments be increased we will consider that at the time.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nightcliff for her question. Yes, we have been in government for 14 weeks now and we have made some changes to the way we manage the business of child protection in the Northern Territory. We have merged Education and Children and Family Services into one agency and we are very proud of this. We see great potential outcomes from this integration of the two services.
I remember last year the former Labor government made a monumental decision to increase foster care payments for Northern Territory foster carers. They had not received a pay increase for many years. So, to hear the member for Nightcliff talk about foster care payments …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! You have not answered the question. Go to the question about whether foster care payments will rise in the mini-budget and will you continue to fund SAF,T!
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, please be seated.
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The points of order being called are precisely the ones you warned the House about. I ask you to remind members of your warning.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, you have the call.
Mrs LAMBLEY: Madam Speaker, the former Labor government did not increase foster payments for many years. Off the top of my head, six years rings a bell. It is extremely hypocritical that the member for Nightcliff would even raise this issue in parliament. It was an extreme embarrassment to the former Labor government at that time.
I will answer the question the member for Nightcliff has raised. We do not intend to cut funding to SAF,T. We have looked at the funding given to non-government organisations by the Office of Children and Families. The exact nature of their funding arrangements beyond the mini-budget will be made public next week. However, we do not intend to cease funding to SAF,T. We never said that and do not intend to do that.
Foster care payments were increased last year - the first increase for many years. We have not considered, 14 weeks into government, the option of increasing foster payments. It has not been put to us again because they recently had an increase. If Foster Care NT presents an argument that its payments be increased we will consider that at the time.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016