Page 1029 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 30 March 2011
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believe that we will ever get to the bottom of this. You only have to look at the lack of diligence on behalf of the minister: “Don’t talk to me. Go to the human rights commissioner.” “La, la, la.” She told this place and she told the committee hearings that the roof had been secured; that the young people could not get on the roof. Yet yesterday, again in the report, she said, “Efforts have to be made to secure the roof.”
We were told that there were no hired security staff at Bimberi: “No staff there. No, we fixed that problem.” Not true. We were told that there were all of these beaut facilities to benefit these children; they were not being used. And we cannot keep staff and we cannot get staff. This is worse than Quamby. That is what one person said yesterday—one person who knew the old Quamby. And you knew the old Quamby, Mr Assistant Speaker. This is worse than Quamby. The government have set up and run a brand-new facility that is worse than the facility that they set out to replace.
Members interjecting—
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Excuse me. Members will desist. Both sides of the chamber will be quiet, please. Mr Smyth has the floor.
MR SMYTH: The Treasurer interjects, “We spent money.” That is the measure of this Treasurer: “I can spend money.” But what about getting results for the young people at the heart of this? And that is not what we are getting. I had great hope after I heard Ms Hunter’s speech yesterday. She said some really interesting things:
And I guess some of the information or the recommendations that have come out of that review really are quite startling …
Well, yes, they are. She then said:
This really needs to be rectified, and rectified quickly …
Yes, it does. Ms Hunter goes on to say:
It does make me wonder what was in place before that to ensure that staff knew of all the policies and procedures. I mean there is talk of a six-week induction process. But, come on, that is hardly adequate.
And she is right. But I see this morning that the position has softened, and it is a shame. She really did speak the truth yesterday when she heard what the minister had to say and she responded and she saw what was wrong—the suicide prevention that is not there and the training opportunities that have been forgone. This is a disaster that is unfolding right before our eyes. And it is a shame that the Greens have no credibility on this issue because it has been the Liberals and Mrs Dunne that have been driving this issue, not the Greens.
Ms Hunter this morning started by saying that she has full confidence that this is still the best way forward, thanks to the Greens—this is the only way forward. It is not the only way forward. There is another way forward. There is a better way forward. We now get conflicting stories from the minister, we get conflicting stories from her
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