Timeline of horrors revealed as watchdog makes power plea

As the children’s watchdog pushes for the state government to arm it with stronger powers to probe cases of kids being let down by the system a horrific timeline has revealed exactly what happened to Brisbane brothers Kaleb and Jonathan.

The children’s watchdog is pushing for the state government to arm it with stronger powers in order to properly probe cases of kids being let down by the system.

The push to give the Queensland Family and Children’s Commission more teeth has grown after the horrific case of two Brisbane brothers with autism who faced nearly 20 years of neglect were laid bare in the Disability Royal Commission.

The brothers, known by pseudonyms Kaleb and Jonathon, and aged 17 and 19, were found in March 27, 2020, in a bare locked room next door to their father’s corpse.

They had no access to food or water and were wearing nothing but soiled nappies.

Kaleb and Jonathan were subjected to years of abuse.

The QFCC had been tasked with investigating the boys’ case in 2020 but did not have the powers to request confidential information and, as a result, could never examine the individual circumstances of what happened.

It was a shortcoming the Attorney-General at the time, Yvette D’Ath, was aware of, and there had been an expectation the case would be escalated to the Child Death Review Board once it became operational in July 2020.

In October that year, Ms D’Ath told the QFCC the government would not be doing so, with no reasons outlined.

This was despite the Child Safety Minister at the time, Di Farmer, asserting in the days after the boys were found that the “the public want answers (and) so, do we”.

“If there is any place in the system that has failed our children, we can make that system right and that is what we’ve asked the commissioner to do,” she said.

QFCC principal commissioner Luke Twyford this week said it was a “contradiction” that the powers to compel confidential information and conduct “case-specific reviews” were only accessible when a child died.

The QFCC, as part of an ongoing review of the legislation that gives it power, recommended the Attorney-General grant it similar powers to the CDRB.

Mr Twyford reaffirmed the QFCC needed these powers to be able to look into issues and cases where “there are clear risks in the system”.

A spokeswoman for Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman said the government was “currently considering” the review of the Queensland Family and Child Commission Act.

“Several submissions have been received from stakeholders, including the QFCC, providing important feedback that will inform the review outcomes,” she said.

“This includes feedback about the powers and functions of the QFCC and the Child Death Review Board.”

It is understood the review was due to wrap up by the middle of this year.