Noel Pearson says inquiry must ‘ruthlessly interrogate’ the broken child protection system
An influential Cape York leader says an inquiry into the troubled child protection system must “ruthlessly interrogate” a broken model that’s caused “catastrophic” harm to Indigenous children.
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An influential Cape York leader says an inquiry into the troubled child protection system must “ruthlessly interrogate” a broken model that’s caused “catastrophic” harm to Indigenous children.
Child Safety Minister Amanda Camm announced on Sunday a historic 17-month Commission of Inquiry into shocking failures in the $1.12bn care industry that will be led by Federal Court Judge Paul Anastassiou.
Founder of Cape York Partnership and Voice architect Noel Pearson wholeheartedly supported the inquiry into child safety he described as the “most important” initiative of an Australian government this year.
“Queensland’s child protection system has spiralled out of control for more than a decade, causing catastrophic harm to First Nations children and families, as well as to non-Indigenous children in Queensland born into disadvantage,” he said.
“It is crucial this new Commission of Inquiry focuses on this comprehensive failure, Queenslanders need their government to work.
“Systemic failure, ballooning costs and tragic outcomes have continued unabated.”
Mr Pearson said the last time serious considerations was given to the child protection system was in 2013 when the Carmody Inquiry was announced.
The inquiry concluded that the state’s child protection system did not adequately protect children while highlighting lack of early intervention and an overburdened Child Safety department as contributing factors to the system’s failure.
Recommendations primarily focused on reducing the number of children in the system and increased early intervention services but kids in resi care almost doubled, from 951 in 2019 to 1763 in 2023.
“It is astonishing and appalling that the Queensland Government made a 10-year $400m commitment to implement the 121 recommendations of the Carmody Inquiry, tens of thousands of public servant hours were devoted to the response and yet an independent evaluation found little had changed,” he said
“The Palaszczuk Government comprehensively failed to deliver reform and instead compounded the problems that existed in 2013.”
Mr Pearson condemned an “industry” set up to financially benefit from child removals through a “profit centre of a parasitic industry”.
“This has been growing across Australian for more than two decades now,” he said.
“We strongly welcome this inquiry and commend the Premier for committing to tackling this crisis. A huge number of families and individuals in Cape York want change.”
Originally published as Noel Pearson says inquiry must ‘ruthlessly interrogate’ the broken child protection system
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