Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee, , 11:28:41 to 11:32:36
Senator O'Sullivan discusses the timeline and scope of the Pilbara child protection review with the Commissioner, highlighting community consultation efforts and cooperation with the Western Australian government.
Topics: Child safety, First Nations, Government spending
Speakers: Sue-Anne Hunter, Senator Matt O'Sullivan, Ellie Whiteaker, Unknown Speaker
Thank you, Senator Thorpe, and thank you, Commissioner. I'm going to go to Senator O'Sullivan.
Yeah, thank you. Uh stay with the Commissioner.
Great, yep.
If that's right.
Yeah.
Thank you, Commissioner. Uh I'm West Australian uh shadow minister for child protection. I've been to the Pilgrim to Port Headland twice in the last month. Uh so witness a lot of the very concerning issues that you've been directly dealing with. Thank you, firstly, for the work you're doing. Uh can I uh just understand quickly the uh when when's what's the completion date? When do you hope to have the uh Pilbert child protection review done?
So at this point we hope to have it done by December, but I am going to say we're hoping because if community come in a bit later and we want to do a validation back to community about what we've heard, so in that sense it may take a bit longer into January. This is my late is the latest, but I really need to make sure that it's the voices of community telling me what's needed. And if that takes a little bit longer, then we're prepared to do that.
Okay, so you you plan to go back to this saying this is what I've heard, and then they might say, well, you didn't hear this or then they can add to it. Is that is that your idea?
That's exactly what we're doing.
And um uh are you working to a terms of reference?
Yes, we have got a terms of reference, they're online.
Which might be state.
So what we've got local government. We are looking we just we decided to do Pill R. But the fact of the matter is we just didn't want to stick to South Headland. There's a bit there is and we were hearing there's concerns across the Pilbra. And so we although it's uh review of regional child protection system. We're actually looking at the adjacent system as well. So policing, housing, health, education, and what that means for children and young people. We're talking to communities, uh, government, umisations, uh, and we hope uh to get the voices of the children uh if possible.
How many people have you got working on this in your team?
We had roughly I think about six. Six people.
Including yourself.
That includes myself.
Okay. Uh is the West Australian government cooperating? Are they providing you with all the information and access that you're asking for?
Yes, they are.
Anything you're not getting?
No, not at this point.
Um is the government obliged under the act that you operate under to respond to your uh uh act on your recommendations?
No, they are not, but what we will be I will say I haven't had to use my powers um at all because of the cooperation that the government is giving me. So lots of data, some case file reviews, going out visiting people, looking at previous reviews that have also been done. So at this point, I haven't had to use my powers. Uh no, they are not, but they will be made public, and we will be following through consistently.
So your report would be public uh and and then you would hope the government would respond.
Um, yeah, I should work for an implementation plan. So I'll vote for an implementation plan of how that would happen.
Okay. Thank you. Thanks, Chair. Thanks so much.
Thank you.