Gold Coast MP: ‘These dead children are not statistics on a spreadsheet’

Mudgeeraba MP Ros Bates has been thrown out of parliament after making a sensational claim of a ‘cover up’ against the Palaszczuk government.

LNP frontbencher and Mudgeeraba MP Ros Bates has been thrown out of parliament after a fiery debate on Child Safety.

The removal of Ms Bates from the chamber occurred after she accused Labor of a cover up of 18 children known to the Department who had died in the past five years.

Ros Bates MP, Question Time, Parliament House, Brisbane. Photographer: Liam Kidston

Opposition leader Deb Frecklington earlier asked the Premier why children known to the department were still dying when Labor claimed it had implemented the findings of the Death Review Panel report on Mason Jett Lee.

Treasurer Cameron Dick and Ms Bates then clashed when the LNP asked him about how much extra funding was available in the Budget to address systemic failures in the department.

Mr Dick said Labor had funded an extra $466 million since the Newman Government and Ms Bates should be “ashamed of what she did when she was a Minister”.

When Ms Bates continued to make comments as the LNP questioned Child Safety Minister Di Farmer, Speaker Curtis Pitt reminded her that she was under a warning.

“You are constantly interjecting. You can leave the chamber for an hour,” he said.

Minister Cameron Dick, Question Time, Parliament House, Brisbane. Photographer: Liam Kidston

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Outside the chamber, Ms Bates told The Bulletin: “Today we saw a litany of lies from Labor attempting to defend their own appalling record on child safety.

“Eighteen children known to the Department have been killed in the last five years of the Palaszczuk Labor Government.

“The Premier, the Treasurer and the pathetic excuse for a Child Safety Minister Di Farmer, all lied about sacking front line child safety officers, in fact the LNP put in 86 new front line child safety officers immediately following the a acceptance of the LNP’s Carmody Commission of Inquiry.

“Former Child Safety failure of a Minister, Shannon Fentiman had to correct the record in parliament after making the same claims.

Ros Bates (left) and Tim Mander with leader Deb Frecklington — pushing child safety reforms. (AAP Image/Dan Peled)

“The LNP funded $409 million into the Child Safety sector which Labor claims as their own — more lies from an incompetent government that has sat back and done nothing, whilst our most vulnerable children are being harmed and then re-harmed.”

Ms Bates named some of the children and remarked that they were not “statistics on a spreadsheet”.

“I could not stand by in parliament today and watch the litany of lies and that is why when Di Farmer said she was proud of Labor’s record on child safety, my interjection was: ‘How can you be proud that 18 children have died on Labor’s watch — the fish rots from the head’,” she said.