Cassy O'Connor MP | Greens Leader
The newly released Commissioner for Children and Young People report into Tasmania’s out-of-home care system is troubling, and its findings demand urgent action from the Rockliff Government.
The Children’s Commissioner has undertaken an in-depth look at out-of-home care in Tasmania, and found numerous shortcomings that require an urgent government response. These include the appalling over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the system; the lack of information about the number of children with disability affected; a serious deficiency in individual care plans; a fall in investment in out-of-home care; and a range of data deficiencies.
On top of the significant problems in out-of-home care, the Commissioner was highly critical of the lack of transparency in the system, describing it as “largely opaque”. She also highlighted that the publication of this report was put on hold due to “lengthy delays” in the relevant government departments providing data and giving permission for this data to be used.
Despite all the assurances and platitudes we’ve received from the Rockliff Government, this report makes it clear many of the lessons from the Commission of Inquiry have not been learned. We are still not seeing issues in child safety being addressed with the urgency or the resources they require, and the government is still reflexively inclined to secrecy.
If we’re going to see outcomes for vulnerable Tasmanian children change for the better, we need to see a change in attitude from those in charge. That starts with the Premier and his Ministers.
We hope Jeremy Rockliff will read this report and respond with appropriate action, including planning for a significantly increased investment in child safety in the upcoming State Budget.