Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee, , 6:10:46 to 6:14:32
Inquiry into the child protection crisis in Port Hedland and the role of the newly established National Children's Commissioner.
Topics: First Nations, Child safety
Speakers: Hon Malarndirri McCarthy, Senator Kerrynne Liddle, Ben O'Sullivan, Senator Karen Grogan, Unknown Speaker
>> Thank you. Uh we'll go to Senator
>> Thank you. Um just a question one more follow up on the um remote jobs. You said remote jobs was funded for 965 million and was not ongoing but it was not going to go up and then you told me it was funded on an ongoing basis. How much perom is being spent on RJ and is that indexed? You can't provide it now. You can
Uh, so Senator, I think to your question, I'll just get the specific figure in front of me. I believe to 30 June this year. I'll just grab it up. Believe it was 132 million, but I don't want to. Yeah. So $132 million had been spent of that administered funding had been paid out the door uh for those existing projects that were approved last year. So we approved around 300 projects last year uh for 1,700 jobs and $132 million so far has been paid of that administered funding.
>> Okay. Thank you. I'm going to ask a question now of the child protection crisis in Port Headland. even though it's a problem everywhere. So, we've seen six weeks of horrific reporting out of Port Heedland, but it was only after a delegation of state and federal coalition MPs that made a trip. Um, Minister, um, you showed up after that. Why did it take you so long and when did you first plan that trip?
>> Uh, thank you, Senator Little. We set up the children's commissioner as a national position for first nations children right across the country. And that position came into effect officially through the legislation in July. And it was important to enable uh that space for the children's commissioner to actually go to Port Headland uh to have time with the families uh to also get to Perth and hold her round table. and one when she came back then I received a briefing and made the decision to go after the briefing from uh from our commissioner.
>> It was still some 5 weeks after it had first been reported extensively though that the commissioner went over there.
I think what's important here, Senator Little, is that the commissioner went to Port Headland and what's important is that there is uh currently a real focus through the work that she's doing uh and certainly in the work that uh we're all trying to do to improve the lives for
>> When did you become aware that the Western Australian government was refusing a call for a coronial inquest?
Oh, I think like most people, you you you read the Australian Senate a little. Um, you know, the senator the the Australian certainly had a consistent uh uh coverage daily on on what was happening in Western Australia. It was uh very clear uh through through that. I had uh post my visit and perhaps before I'd have to have a look at uh the the order, but I'd certainly uh reached out to the WA government. um I think it was on the last day of sittings here in terms of a briefing directly with the minister child protection minister responsible uh to be able to get that briefing from