Page 3904 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 29 November 2022
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people’s radar. It is going to be seen very much as a small, niche issue that does not affect the vast majority of Canberrans, but when you push this out much wider, across the entire suburban area, you see that it is an issue that we have to look at closely.
Big decisions are about to be made in Monash which will impact the Monash shops for many years, and the people of Monash are keen to impose their views on that decision-making process in the hope that they can reach an optimal outcome. Thank you.
Petitions
Debate resumed on the motion:
That the response so lodged be noted.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders—Our Booris, Our Way—update
Ministerial statement
MS STEPHEN-SMITH (Kurrajong—Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Minister for Families and Community Services and Minister for Health) (10.06): I am pleased to present the fourth combined six-monthly progress reports for the government response to the recommendations from the Our Booris, Our Way review; and A Step Up for Our Kids Out of Home Care Strategy 2015-2020 snapshot report.
Over the past six months, the government has continued to work closely with the Our Booris, Our Way Implementation Oversight Committee to deliver the recommendations of the review. The committee plays a vital role in providing advice and insights into the implementation of the recommendations. It is only through listening to the voices of those with lived experience that we can fully understand the historical and structural issues that are continuing to affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people today. These include the impact of past trauma, intergenerational poverty and systemic racism—impacts that continue to reverberate through generations and across systems.
This is not an easy task, and it is frustrating that we have not continued to see an ongoing reduction in the numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children entering care since the reduction in 2018-19. I can advise, though, that there has been a significant fall again since May, and I am pleased to advise that the year-to-date number to September of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children entering care is 27 compared to the year-to-date number to June, which is included in these reports, which was 40.
While we continue to work closely with the committee on much needed reforms within the child protection system, we also need to put more energy and investment into early support. This is a key recommendation from the Our Booris, Our Way final
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