Ms LAWRIE - 2006-06-14
Ms LAWRIE (Family and Community Services)(by leave): Mr Acting Speaker, I provide additional information in response to a question from the Leader of Opposition in Question Time.
The Leader of the Opposition tabled two e-mails in regards to a remote nurse’s claims regarding the notification of a sexually transmitted disease in a child in a remote community. I am able to advise the Opposition Leader that there was a notification earlier this year of an STI in a remote community. That notification was investigated. There was not enough evidence from that investigation to proceed with prosecution.
There was a subsequent notification of a sexually transmitted disease in the same community. That investigation is under way, and has been under way for some time now, involving both police and Family and Children’s Services …
Dr Lim: What has happened to the child?
Ms Carney: Is the child in care?
Ms LAWRIE: I can further advise the Leader of the Opposition that, with the remote community involved, the local member, the member for Macdonnell, took it upon herself personally to notify me as Minister for Family and Children’s Services, of the allegations of a sexually transmitted disease in that community. I pursued that notification from the member for Macdonnell, quite appropriately, down through the channels to FACS. I thank the member for Macdonnell for taking quite appropriate action at community level to notify the relevant minister, who can notify the relevant agency of any allegations of child sexual abuse which, obviously, would be raised in the notification of a sexually transmitted disease.
I point out that it is a requirement to notify the Centre for Disease Control of sexually transmitted diseases. In notifications of STIs in under 18-year-olds in the Northern Territory, in 2004 and 2005, there were no notifications of a child under 12 with syphilis. I note that the e-mail tabled by the Leader of the Opposition was dated in May this year. It says that there was a child aged six seen months ago with syphilis. I am concerned that that has not been notified to the Centre for Disease Control as core procedure.
As minister, in follow-up to the notifications of the STI, and the investigations by both police and FACS, what I have done is ask my CEO to undertake an investigation within the agency to see whether there are any failings in the system in notifications to the Centre for Disease Control and to FACS, because I do not want to see any weakness, anywhere, right across our remote health system. If front-end remote health nurses are seeing STIs in children, or are suspicious of any abuse or neglect of children, that must be notified. We are very clear on that, we have sent that advice right across our whole service. I will ensure that this case currently under investigation becomes an investigation within the department to see how well the system works, and whether, indeed, there is any way that the system needs to be improved.
The Leader of the Opposition tabled two e-mails in regards to a remote nurse’s claims regarding the notification of a sexually transmitted disease in a child in a remote community. I am able to advise the Opposition Leader that there was a notification earlier this year of an STI in a remote community. That notification was investigated. There was not enough evidence from that investigation to proceed with prosecution.
There was a subsequent notification of a sexually transmitted disease in the same community. That investigation is under way, and has been under way for some time now, involving both police and Family and Children’s Services …
Dr Lim: What has happened to the child?
Ms Carney: Is the child in care?
Ms LAWRIE: I can further advise the Leader of the Opposition that, with the remote community involved, the local member, the member for Macdonnell, took it upon herself personally to notify me as Minister for Family and Children’s Services, of the allegations of a sexually transmitted disease in that community. I pursued that notification from the member for Macdonnell, quite appropriately, down through the channels to FACS. I thank the member for Macdonnell for taking quite appropriate action at community level to notify the relevant minister, who can notify the relevant agency of any allegations of child sexual abuse which, obviously, would be raised in the notification of a sexually transmitted disease.
I point out that it is a requirement to notify the Centre for Disease Control of sexually transmitted diseases. In notifications of STIs in under 18-year-olds in the Northern Territory, in 2004 and 2005, there were no notifications of a child under 12 with syphilis. I note that the e-mail tabled by the Leader of the Opposition was dated in May this year. It says that there was a child aged six seen months ago with syphilis. I am concerned that that has not been notified to the Centre for Disease Control as core procedure.
As minister, in follow-up to the notifications of the STI, and the investigations by both police and FACS, what I have done is ask my CEO to undertake an investigation within the agency to see whether there are any failings in the system in notifications to the Centre for Disease Control and to FACS, because I do not want to see any weakness, anywhere, right across our remote health system. If front-end remote health nurses are seeing STIs in children, or are suspicious of any abuse or neglect of children, that must be notified. We are very clear on that, we have sent that advice right across our whole service. I will ensure that this case currently under investigation becomes an investigation within the department to see how well the system works, and whether, indeed, there is any way that the system needs to be improved.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016