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

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Minchin. This question refers to the matter of the sexual assault of children and is addressed to Senator Minchin because it is a question of national importance requiring prime ministerial and government leadership. Senator Minchin, have the government and particularly the cabinet now absorbed the lesson spelt out by a number of Senate reports that a harmed child invariably results in a harmed adult, with consequent long-term and costly social and economic consequences? Did the government take note of last night’s ABC Lateline program on the issue of the sexual assault of children and the failure of the various authorities to act in response to reports? This failure, I might say, replicates the failure to address the sexual assault of institutionalised and in-care children last century. What are the Prime Minister and his government doing to address the problem of the past and present sexual assault of children in Australian society?

Nick Minchin (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance and Administration) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do not have immediately available to me a full statement of the government’s position on what is a complex matter in answer to the multifaceted question that you have asked. Obviously everyone in this government is vitally concerned about ongoing child sexual abuse wherever and in whatever circumstances it occurs. There is no magic wand you can wave. We have to work through COAG with state and territory governments, local communities, all the voluntary organisations, churches et cetera. You are quite right to identify what is a massive national challenge, something that perhaps in the past has not been as obvious to the community. I am sure these sorts of nefarious practices occurred in the past without the sort of spotlight put on them that is now much more the case. These things are much more on the national agenda now than perhaps they used to be, and thank God for that.

I would be happy to seek to obtain a more formal statement for Senator Murray of the considered government response to all the issues that he has raised, because I am not enabled to do that at the moment. I did not have the benefit of seeing the Lateline program last night, so I am not sure what he is referring to there.

It is of particular concern. Everybody in this place feels it personally, I am sure, particularly those of us with children, when we hear the appalling stories of child sexual abuse, particularly in Aboriginal communities. Those of us who have spent time in Aboriginal communities, as I did when I had responsibility for native title, and know much that is of value in them—such as the traditions that they have and their connection to their land—can only be saddened to hear that that sort of depravity can occur in modern-day Aboriginal society.

It is no good lecturing anybody about that. It is a requirement on the part of all governments and all people in positions of responsibility—from local communities right through to the national government—to find ways to deal with this. Much of it goes to raising standards of living and providing hope and opportunity in many of the communities that are deprived, where these sorts of circumstances occur. You do find, I think, a connection between child sexual abuse and economic impoverishment or a lack of hope and of job opportunities. The more successful the community the less likely these things are to occur. I hate to sound like an economist, but we try to ensure that the prosperity of this country is more widely available to many more communities and that families remain together.

We see evidence of this when families break up, which is one of the saddest things. We have brought in initiatives in relation to family unity—the family relationship centres—to ensure that we deal with family break-up in a more practical, sensitive way and to minimise family break-up. I think all of these things go to the mosaic, but I am not suggesting that this government or any government has a simple wand. I share Senator Murray’s concern for the issue. I think it is right that he and other senators ensure that it stays right up there on the national agenda, because the saddest thing is that innocent children are the victims of what he describes.

Andrew Murray (WA, Australian Democrats) Share this | Link to 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?

Nick Minchin (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance and Administration) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Murray is quite right to say that the regrettable part of child sexual abuse is that it does stay with the victims for life. The most critical thing that I and I think members of the government would say is that sustaining the real growth in wealth in this country, ensuring the distribution of that wealth, ensuring we do our utmost to maintain intact families and providing jobs, opportunity and hope for Australians is the sort of legacy that we would like to leave.