Page 1367 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 10 May 1994
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However, rather than agreeing with United Nations conventions - I do not think the system was ever set up to use the external affairs power in Australia for such things - we should be prepared to listen and then, without any suggestion of control from overseas, make our own decision and never tie this country and its people to laws that are made outside Australia.
MS ELLIS (4.29): Madam Speaker, I wish to offer comments in support of the passage of the Children's Services (Amendment) Bill 1994 and the Community Advocate (Amendment) Bill 1994 through this Assembly. The intent of these Bills is to strengthen the Government and community response to child abuse. The dramatic rise in the number of abused children reported to welfare authorities over the past few years has heightened public concern about the problem of child abuse within the Australian community.
The ACT has also experienced this dramatic rise in reported child abuse. In the year 1992-93 the Family Services Branch received 1,781 notifications of child abuse. This was a 28 per cent increase over the 1991-92 figure, which in turn represented a 10 per cent increase over the number of notifications in 1990-91. The Government responded to these increases by adding to the Family Services Branch budget in 1993-94 to provide a number of new child protection workers. Future changes in demand will also be closely monitored to ensure that ACT services can respond quickly to make children safe. The services required are not just in the investigation and assessment of abuse notifications; they also involve intensive family support and residential and foster care services for children who must live away from home.
These increases in the reporting of child abuse are very disturbing, but I suggest that they may also be evidence of increased community confidence that, by reporting suspected abuse, members of the community can directly contribute to the protection of children. Governments would not be responsive if they just stood by and watched these figures rise. Something must be done to prevent child abuse, and the case for prevention is strong. Obviously, children are important members of our community and have the right to be cared for and kept safe from abuse. Preventing abuse spares children from harmful and sometimes life-threatening experiences. Children are the parents of the future, and their capacity to parent is influenced by the parenting they receive. Research indicates a strong link between child abuse and later social problems. A community which ignores its obligations to children invites costly social consequences. Unless services for children who have been abused are supplemented by preventative measures, children will continue to be abused and the demand for post-abuse services will continue to outstrip supply.
The ACT will take up the challenge of child abuse prevention this year by joining with the Commonwealth, the States and the Northern Territory in the national child abuse prevention strategy. This is the first time such a national approach has been taken to child abuse, and the ACT will devise local approaches to reflect the national strategy.
Madam Speaker, these Bills ensure that the services we have on the ground now work most efficiently and effectively together. Child abuse demands a multidisciplinary approach across government departments and community agencies. In such an important area of human concern, we cannot afford a lack of clarity in roles and responsibilities. We must also have services which are open to scrutiny and which are accountable to the ACT community. These Bills are supported by all agencies involved in child protection.
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