Tuesday, 15 October 2019

 Ms CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (13:01): My constituency question is to the Minister for Child Protection, Minister Donnellan, and it is in relation to an issue that was raised by a constituent of mine who met with me last week around the ongoing operation of Open Place. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and indeed the inquiry into child abuse that I had the privilege to chair heard from many victims who were in orphanages and their many accounts about the criminal abuse that occurred. Open Place has been set up for some time to provide support and advocacy on behalf of them. Over 4000 forgotten Australians are on its books. It provides a network of counsellors and counselling across Victoria and other avenues to support these people. So the question I ask, and the question that is raised with me, is: can the minister confirm that Berry Street, which has been supporting Open Place, will no longer be providing that service beyond June 2020 and that the Department of Health and Human Services will seek a new provider to provide the one-stop shop that Berry Street currently does?