Early childhood education and care
Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (12:18): (1000) My question is again to the Minister for Children. Minister, this morning it has been revealed that G8 Education have been found to have repeatedly failed to protect children in their care. I refer you to the Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005 and specifically to section 6, which requires you, as the minister, to:
… promote the co-ordination of Government programs that affect child wellbeing and safety.
Minister, given this key role, is it not a fact that, given the terrible revelations of abuse of children, you have failed to effectively discharge your role as minister?
The PRESIDENT: Are you asking the minister for an opinion?
Georgie CROZIER: No, a fact.
Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Children, Minister for Disability) (12:19): I thank Ms Crozier for her question. I would reject the premise of the question, but I would point out that the Age’s reporting today is actually using information that has been published by the regulatory authority, demonstrating that action has indeed been taken against the operators concerned in response to the breaches of national law that occurred, so the very reporting itself is based on the action of the regulator.
Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (12:20): Minister, thanks for that response. But you do have a key role, so I ask: how can parents have confidence your government is committed to protecting children given your failure to release key documents, requested in this chamber, related to childhood and child safety? You just referenced the regulator.
Members interjecting.
The PRESIDENT: The minister can answer as she sees fit.
Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Children, Minister for Disability) (12:20): I again thank Ms Crozier for her question. As I pointed out in relation to the substantive question, the article in the Age is based on published enforcement actions in relation to where there had been noncompliance with or breaches of the national law, so the regulator was indeed doing its job in relation to the very points that were being raised this morning. It is using information that has been published by the regulatory authority.
In relation to the remainder of the question, in a number of ways, as I regularly update this house as Minister for Children, across the breadth of my responsibilities from maternal and child health, early education and child protection through the implementation of things such as child safe standards, our reportable conduct scheme, the work that we do to implement the findings of and reports of the Commission for Children and Young People to our record investments in things like our Best Start, Best Life reforms, our universal maternal and child health system and our threefold increase in family services investment, we are working in the interests of children.