Rowan Ramsey (Grey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. I refer the minister to the shocking Mullighan report, handed down last week, which found that 14 per cent of the children have been sexually assaulted on APY lands in South Australia, with some of these children as young as 10 years of age. Given that the minister admitted on ABC radio on Wednesday, 7 May that Indigenous abuse is a national problem, why isn’t the government doing anything about this horrific issue?

Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question. I want to say a couple of things at the outset. Every single member of this House is horrified by the revelations in the Mullighan inquiry. Unfortunately, they are not new revelations. They are revelations that have been known to many people for a long time. They are revelations that, unfortunately, are being replicated in other parts of Australia. We are all very well aware of what is happening in the Northern Territory, the Kimberley and Cape York, to name just a few places where we have shocking levels of child abuse. The new Australian government have taken the view that we should provide some leadership and develop a national child protection framework, which we are doing. We intend to release a discussion paper on this issue very shortly. I look forward to contributions from all members of the House on the whole question of what the national government—

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Families, Community Services, Indigenous Affairs and the Voluntary Sector) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A discussion paper when kids are being mistreated?

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The House will come to order! The minister has the call.

Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

These are very serious issues and very difficult issues to resolve. I hope and expect that all of us can work together to address what is a critical issue for everyone: protecting children. Last week, when the Mullighan inquiry report was tabled by the Premier of South Australia in the South Australian parliament, this government here in Canberra responded immediately by committing an additional $19 million for both additional police facilities and homes for additional police officers and child protection officers so they can finally be located on the APY lands. We are also putting additional money—$2.8 million, in fact—into additional places at boarding colleges in Adelaide so that children from the APY lands can come to Adelaide to continue their education. There is additional money for mental health services.

I have asked the South Australian government to move swiftly so that we can proceed to build the $25 million worth of housing that is urgently needed on the APY lands. The South Australian government has created a taskforce to respond as quickly as possible to the Mullighan committee of inquiry recommendations. They have already had their first meeting. Just today I asked that a senior member of my department join that taskforce. I have asked the South Australian government and the minister to respond as quickly as possible to every one of the recommendations in the Mullighan inquiry report.