Ms ANDERSON - 2010-02-17
Will you remove, under your act, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander placement policy that hinders children being placed with anyone, and have the safety of the child looked at as a priority instead of the colour of their skin?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for her question. It is a very important question. I have been on the public record saying that colour, religion, and ethnicity does not matter.
Ms Anderson: You still have the policy.
Mr VATSKALIS: What I said is the safety of the child comes first. If the child is an Indigenous child, and there is an Indigenous family which can provide a safe environment, then it will be placed with an Indigenous family. If there is no family kinship …
Ms Anderson: You do not have the guts.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr VATSKALIS: … to provide the proper environment, the child will be provided with a safe family, a family that will provide …
Ms Anderson: Your statistics will keep going up.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Macdonnell, you have asked the minister a question, allow him to answer it.
A member: Allow him to spin it.
Ms Anderson: I asked him a specific question, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Greatorex, you can withdraw from the Chamber.
Mr VATSKALIS: Let me make it clear: what comes first is the safety of the child – colour, religion, ethnicity – it is irrelevant. If the child is safe, that is what matters. I will not remove policies that work. What I will do is ensure whatever is in place provides a safe environment for the child.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for her question. It is a very important question. I have been on the public record saying that colour, religion, and ethnicity does not matter.
Ms Anderson: You still have the policy.
Mr VATSKALIS: What I said is the safety of the child comes first. If the child is an Indigenous child, and there is an Indigenous family which can provide a safe environment, then it will be placed with an Indigenous family. If there is no family kinship …
Ms Anderson: You do not have the guts.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr VATSKALIS: … to provide the proper environment, the child will be provided with a safe family, a family that will provide …
Ms Anderson: Your statistics will keep going up.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Macdonnell, you have asked the minister a question, allow him to answer it.
A member: Allow him to spin it.
Ms Anderson: I asked him a specific question, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Greatorex, you can withdraw from the Chamber.
Mr VATSKALIS: Let me make it clear: what comes first is the safety of the child – colour, religion, ethnicity – it is irrelevant. If the child is safe, that is what matters. I will not remove policies that work. What I will do is ensure whatever is in place provides a safe environment for the child.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016