MEDIA RELEASE: Child Protection
- Details
- Published: Tuesday, 18 August 2015 15:33
Our kids will never be protected until the Minister, the Department AND the Children’s Commissioner do their job
Following the revelations of a blowout in assessment of notifications of Child Protection cases in the North West region, the Independent Member for Rumney in the Legislative Council, Tony Mulder has called on Liberal, Labor and the Greens to stop politicising the issue by attacking each other and deal with the substantive issue and protect our children.
“I have followed the debate in the lower House today. and in the media and the performance of all sides leaves me shaking my head. Just fix the bloody problem. These are kids lives we’re talking about,” Mr Mulder said.
“I recall similar problems under the last Government, a Labor/ Green coalition. I now hear of problems, for whatever reasons, under the current Liberal Government. No ones hands are clean. I call for a tripartite approach to reset the methodology of investigation response and a formal, transparent upward reporting regime.”
Commenting on the role of the Commissioner for Children, Mr Mark Morrissey, Mr Mulder said, “Given his role of oversighting the systems and processes why is he not receiving at least monthly performance statistics from the Department. Why is the Minister not receiving such reports and why hasn’t the commissioner made sure she is?”If Labor, Green and Liberal Ministers received regular report on key performance indicators, these issues would not come as a surprise!
“I also query why her Department did not advise Minister Petrusma in a timely manner.” asked Mr Mulder.
Ends 18/08/15
For further comment please contact Tony on 0428 685 337