Cassy O'Connor MP | Greens Leader and Human Services spokesperson
The report in to the failure to investigate 151 child protection notifications in the North West has exposed that resourcing is a serious issue for child protection in Tasmania.
The fact that administrative staff were taking notifications of at-risk babies and children in the North West has exposed that poor processes, insufficient resources, staff recruitment, training and management are at the heart of the problem.
So far we have seen two Liberal State Budgets where child protection has been ignored.
Minister Petrusma has made much of 'quarantining' front line child protection staff from the Liberals' savage cuts to public services in Tasmania, but she has failed to secure extra funding to protect Tasmania's vulnerable children.
The Hodgman Government found almost $20 million for a wealthy AFL football club and it's rolling around in the near half a billion in extra GST revenue, but it has refused to invest in child protection.
Ultimately, it's all about priorities and this government's priorities are all wrong.