Thursday, 21 March 2024

 Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (12:01): (477) My question is to the Minister for Children. Minister, the latest crime data shows that the biggest increase was in crimes committed by teenagers between the ages of 14 and 17, which have jumped by almost 30 per cent in 2023, marking the most serious offending since 2009. There were 18,729 separate incidents in 2023, and the figures show they are moving into more violent crimes. Many of these teenagers are in residential care, which is supposed to provide a safe and supportive environment.

Last September the commissioner for children and young people Liana Buchanan, commenting on figures from Victoria Legal Aid, said:

… the figures show residential care acting, too often, as a pipeline into the criminal justice system for the state’s most marginalised children …

Minister, why have you failed these children?

 Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Children, Minister for Disability) (12:02): I am again very disappointed to be approaching one of these types of questions with this type of angle, which is the assumption that children in residential care are somehow inherently bad or are going to do inherently bad things. Let me assure the house that by the very nature of ending up in residential care these children and young people are some of the most marginalised, some of the most disadvantaged and certainly some of those who have experienced the most traumatic experiences, which have led them to residential care. They are in fact themselves in many instances victims, so this characterisation of children in residential care as criminals is outright offensive and elitist. The children who are in residential care are in absolute need of the greatest support and the greatest level of services.

It is why we are absolutely committed to therapeutic models of care for these children. It is why in the last budget we allocated more than half a billion dollars to ensure that those children in residential care get therapeutic supports wrapped around them in each and every place in residential care. That is the biggest investment that has ever been put into residential care in the system. Contrast that to when those opposite were in government and what was found about the way in which those opposite were running the child protection system. What this government is doing is standing up for children, the most marginalised children, children and young people who are in and of themselves victims, to ensure that they get the therapeutic supports and the services that they need to be able to live happy, fulfilling and productive lives, rather than characterising them as criminals. I reject the basis of the question.

 Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (12:03): I will say it again. Last September the commissioner for children and young people Liana Buchanan, commenting on figures from Victoria Legal Aid, said:

… the figures show residential care acting, too often, as a pipeline into the criminal justice system for the state’s most marginalised children …

That is who said it – your own commissioner, not me – so stop debating the issue. This is an important issue. I ask: what is your plan to prevent these vulnerable children under your watch from being further entrenched in the criminal justice system?

 Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Children, Minister for Disability) (12:04): I am not sure that it was a supplementary question, rather than simply a repeat of the initial question, so I will go back to –

Georgie Crozier: On a point of order, President, this is not an opportunity for the minister to debate. This is a simple question about her plan –

Members interjecting.

The PRESIDENT: Order! The minister is 8 seconds into her 1 minute.

Georgie Crozier: I hope she answers the question.

Lizzie BLANDTHORN: The shadow minister did open her remarks with ‘I will say it again’ – to pick up on the interjection – but I will say it again as well. Under those opposite, the Auditor-General reported that they had the residential care system operating over capacity –

Georgie Crozier: On a point of order, President, I am not talking about the history of what has gone on here. The stats are very clear. What is your plan? I would ask you to bring the minister back to answering the question.

The PRESIDENT: Order! The minister to continue.

Lizzie BLANDTHORN: When those opposite were in government the Auditor-General said that the system was operating over capacity, unable to –

David Davis: On a point of order, President, it is time during question time to answer questions, not to attack the opposition. Please just answer the question, and do not go back in time in some strange attack on the opposition.

The PRESIDENT: I will bring the minister back to the question. The issue, when there is a supplementary question, is that it is very hard when the minister rejects the premise of the substantive question. I will bring the minister back to the question.

Lizzie BLANDTHORN: They quoted the commissioner for children and young people; I am quoting the Auditor-General, who said under those opposite the system was operating over capacity and unable to respond effectively to the level of demand and the increasing complexity of children.

David Davis: On a point of order, President, it is quite clear that question time is not an opportunity to attack the opposition; it is an opportunity to answer the question that is provided.

The PRESIDENT: I uphold that point of order. I reacquainted myself with President Smith’s ruling, which I could not completely remember. The one I like is where he said, ‘It’s not up to the minister to hop into the opposition.’ So I would ask the minister to not hop into the opposition. I will let her answer as she sees fit if it is within her administration.

Lizzie BLANDTHORN: I would be very pleased to. As I said, our government is doing the work to ensure that children in residential care are not criminalised but, more importantly, that they are not characterised as criminals by those opposite. The children and young people in residential care, by the very nature of the fact that they are in residential care, have suffered some of the most traumatic experiences that any of us could imagine might happen to a child or a young person. The residential care system – (Time expired)