Andrew Murray (WA, Australian Democrats) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I thank the minister for his response, and I do hope that, at the cabinet level at least, these questions will become front of mind and a regular issue until the problem is being managed better than it is at present. Senator Minchin rightly acknowledged that these problems stretch decades back. Does the minister agree that what is less understood is that these problems will stretch decades forward—that a child of 10 being harmed now will often still be a harmed adult in 60 years time? I understand that this government expects its economic legacy to be a strong one, so I ask: Minister, what is going to be your government’s social legacy? Will there be more or will there be fewer harmed children after your tenure in government?