Friday, 14 November 2025

 Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Children, Minister for Disability) (12:08): I rise to update the house regarding child safety reforms. When the allegations in relation to the accused in July came to light I wanted to understand their background and their work history. I was advised by my department that this individual had qualifications that allowed him to work across other high-risk settings, including in disability settings. This was clear at the time when the reports came to light, as the accused worked at D.O.T.S Occupational Therapy for Children, as was well reported. This fact is frequently omitted by many in the discussions around child safety. The rapid review spoke to this when it recommended the establishment of common foundations across the social services and disability sector. Across this chamber there has been reference to the Four Corners program and to act to ensure that these matters are canvassed and that the matters canvassed in their reporting are addressed. I refer members to the statements of Dr Michael Bourke, a global authority on child sex offenders, who stated on their program:

The predators are going to look for any prey-rich environment, any environment in which there’s children, and then there’s a decreased chance of being detected, right. And they also trade information online with each other. So once they find somewhere where the rules aren’t enforced …

That information immediately goes out, and it’s shared with like-minded individuals, and they start gravitating to these places.

Everyone in this chamber, I know, wants to improve safeguards for all children, but if this Parliament does not deliver improved safeguards for children with disability, as is proposed in the bills introduced that acquit recommendation 8.1 of the rapid review, they will be delivering a system where there is a decreased chance of being able to detect these predators. As the comment of Dr Michael Bourke shows, predators will exploit the lack of sufficient safeguards. I again remind the house that the accused held those qualifications that allowed him to work across other high-risk settings, including in disability settings.

The quality assessment and regulation division, the current regulatory authority, also advised me that the most common other sectors for early childhood education and care workers under investigation are disability and aged care. We need to provide a comprehensive set of child safety improvements with no child left behind.