Ms ROSOL (Bass) – Honourable Speaker, I thank the member for Braddon, Mrs Beswick, for bringing this important matter to parliament today. Our children are precious and they deserve all of our best efforts as parents, grandparents, families, carers, communities and as a government. Children have the right to be protected from violence and neglect. They have the right to the best health care possible, to healthy food and a clean and safe environment, as well as information about how to stay safe and healthy. For those children who cannot live with their family, they should have their situations checked on regularly to ensure that they are safe and being cared for.
Children have the right to an education that allows them to develop their personalities, their talents and their abilities. They have the right to protection from sexual abuse. Children should only be placed in detention as a last resort and should receive legal help. Children have the right to access many solutions to help them to become good members of their communities, rather than only having the option of detention. These rights are all recognised in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and they have the capacity to guide our public institutions.
The Greens will support this motion put forward by Mrs Beswick today because Tasmanian public institutions should provide children with those things that are necessary to help them thrive.
In my brief time in parliament, I have read many blueprints and strategies and I have heard the government recite ad nauseam all it is doing for Tasmanians. However, at the same time, I am hearing from the community of situations where there are insufficient services for the needs of people and their children. For example, within Child Safety Services, I have heard about the Advice and Referral Line, that not all reports are being responded to in a timely manner. I have heard that Integrated Family Support Service and the Intensive Family Engagement Service require better funding and are not sufficient to meet the needs of families who need support to care for their children.
I have heard that case managers do not meet regularly with the children in their care and on their caseload because they are under enormous pressure with huge caseloads and cannot meet the needs of all the children that they care for.
We have heard a lot today about Ashley Youth Detention Centre and the issues there, and the need for us to continue to do all we can to provide for the safety of young people by providing alternatives to detention.
I have heard from people who are attempting to access child health nursing services for their children that children often are missing out on growth and development assessments because there are insufficient services available for them. I have heard about child and family learning centres with insufficient services being available there – fabulous wraparound support services, but not everyone is able to access the support that they need.
Within our schools, we know that we need more school psychologists, social workers and speech pathologists. We know that housing is an issue for young people and that many children are at risk of homelessness.
There is so much more we could be doing for the children of Tasmania. All of these services need more funding if we are truly to meet the needs of our children. Our children deserve our best. We must offer more than fine plans and words. We must do all we can to meet the needs of the children of Tasmania and ensure that our children can and do thrive.
Members – Hear, hear.
