Matt O'Sullivan (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Choice in Childcare and Early Learning) Share this | Hansard source

I rise and join with my colleagues today with a very heavy heart following the tragic death of Kumanjayi Little Baby in Alice Springs. As we know, this girl was just five years of age. Our deepest condolences go to her family, to those who loved her, to her community, and to all those carrying this unbearable grief of losing a child in such horrific circumstances. I particularly stand alongside my colleague Senator Nampijinpa Price—Kumanjayi Little Baby's aunt—who delivered the most powerful speech just earlier. Of course, the grief that she is feeling, I stand alongside her in full support.

No child should suffer what this little girl suffered, no family should endure this pain, and no Australian should look at the details emerging from this case without asking the hard questions about how our systems have failed to protect a vulnerable child. There are rightly discussions about the broader social conditions that exist in many remote communities including around the housing shortages, the poverty, the trauma, the crime, the domestic violence, the low school attendance, the gambling and the failed investments by governments who have not solved social problems with more money. Now, these are real issues and they cannot be ignored. But no matter how complex the underlying social or cultural circumstances may be, the safety and the wellbeing of children must always remain the first priority.

The child protection system exists to intervene when there is a risk of serious harm, and, when there are credible concerns about abuse or neglect, the safety of the child must always be paramount. This is why I believe that there should be a very honest and full examination of the operation of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child placement principle and how it is being applied in practice. Let me be clear: this principle exists for important reasons. Connection to family, culture, language and community matters deeply for Indigenous children. The history of forced removals in this country means these issues must always be approached with humility and care, but no principle, no framework, no policy setting can ever result in a child's safety being compromised. If there is any hesitation in acting because officials fear cultural criticism, bureaucratic process, reputational risk or ideological pressure then we have a very serious problem.

The question Australians are asking is not whether cultural connection matters, because it does—of course it does; the question in this case was whether the system acted decisively enough where concerns were raised. Were the warnings missed? Were interventions delayed? Did policy settings create hesitation where urgent action was needed? These are difficult questions but they are necessary questions, because every child protection framework must ultimately be judged by a single standard: did it keep the child safe? We must resist the temptation to reduce these tragedies to slogans or simplistic political answers. The issue is far more serious than that. We can acknowledge the importance of housing and social investment while also demanding accountability from child protection systems. We can support cultural connection while also insisting that immediate safety must always come first. These are not contradictory positions; in fact, they should work together. A child who is safe and protected should also be connected to culture, to family and community wherever possible, but safety must be the very first threshold, not the second, not one consideration among many—the first.

The death of this beautiful little girl must not simply become another tragic headline that briefly shocks the nation before attention moves on. It should force us to examine whether the systems designed to protect vulnerable children are operating with clarity, confidence and unwavering focus on the welfare of the child. Because, when a child dies after repeated interactions with authorities, Australians expect more than explanations. They expect accountability and, above all, they expect change. We owe it to Kumanjayi Little Baby and to every vulnerable child growing up in these communities to learn from this tragedy and to ensure that, when warning signs are raised, systems respond with urgency, care and accountability. May little Kumanjayi Little Baby rest in peace.