Ms LEE - 2012-12-05
For the benefit of the member for Casuarina, how has the government addressed the growing demand for out-of-home care and child protection services? Can you outline how the mini-budget will impact on the funding for the Office of Children and Families?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Arnhem for her question. This is a great question.
On 31 October, the member for Nightcliff moved a motion calling on the government to guarantee it would maintain its commitment to the level of funding for the Office of Children and Families. When I moved the amendment to the motion, I said we would to commit to the current level of funding because if we did, we were locked into not being able to increase the level of funding.
The member for Casuarina mocked me saying, ‘I would like to see that’. Remember that, member for Casuarina? Well, member for Casuarina, now you get to see it in print.
This government is demonstrating its real commitment to child protection in these tough times by providing an additional $10m this financial year and $5m ongoing from 2013-14 to the Office of Children and Families. It is an overall substantial increase in an area we think is extremely important.
As I have outlined previously in the House, the number of Northern Territory children harmed every year continues to increase and so does the number of children who need to come into care in order to grow up in a safe environment. The demand for child protection services in the Northern Territory has increased substantially year on year ...
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Then why is the non-government sector saying that slashing the family crisis support will put more children in danger?
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, there is no point of order. You have the call, minister.
Mrs LAMBLEY: We take this area of government business extremely seriously - the welfare of children and families in the Northern Territory.
When we came into office just 15 weeks ago we uncovered a complete shambles, the spending of millions and millions of dollars that was not budgeted for, 90 unfunded child protection workers and substantial increases in operational costs resulting in a black hole of $35m in the 2012-13 budget. That is a huge amount of money which the former government intended to spend with no dollars existing for that expenditure. The former Labor government was so focused on the board of inquiry report and being re-elected they did not notice what was happening to the welfare of children in the Northern Territory.
As the minister and Treasurer, I have made tough decisions. There have been some changes to how we prioritise the funding of the non-government sector, as the Leader of the Opposition has pointed out, but our priority is the welfare of the children of the Northern Territory.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Arnhem for her question. This is a great question.
On 31 October, the member for Nightcliff moved a motion calling on the government to guarantee it would maintain its commitment to the level of funding for the Office of Children and Families. When I moved the amendment to the motion, I said we would to commit to the current level of funding because if we did, we were locked into not being able to increase the level of funding.
The member for Casuarina mocked me saying, ‘I would like to see that’. Remember that, member for Casuarina? Well, member for Casuarina, now you get to see it in print.
This government is demonstrating its real commitment to child protection in these tough times by providing an additional $10m this financial year and $5m ongoing from 2013-14 to the Office of Children and Families. It is an overall substantial increase in an area we think is extremely important.
As I have outlined previously in the House, the number of Northern Territory children harmed every year continues to increase and so does the number of children who need to come into care in order to grow up in a safe environment. The demand for child protection services in the Northern Territory has increased substantially year on year ...
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Then why is the non-government sector saying that slashing the family crisis support will put more children in danger?
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, there is no point of order. You have the call, minister.
Mrs LAMBLEY: We take this area of government business extremely seriously - the welfare of children and families in the Northern Territory.
When we came into office just 15 weeks ago we uncovered a complete shambles, the spending of millions and millions of dollars that was not budgeted for, 90 unfunded child protection workers and substantial increases in operational costs resulting in a black hole of $35m in the 2012-13 budget. That is a huge amount of money which the former government intended to spend with no dollars existing for that expenditure. The former Labor government was so focused on the board of inquiry report and being re-elected they did not notice what was happening to the welfare of children in the Northern Territory.
As the minister and Treasurer, I have made tough decisions. There have been some changes to how we prioritise the funding of the non-government sector, as the Leader of the Opposition has pointed out, but our priority is the welfare of the children of the Northern Territory.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016