Wednesday, 31 August 2022

Foster carers

Dr BACH (Eastern Metropolitan) (18:39): (2107) I have an adjournment matter tonight for the Minister for Child Protection and Family Services, and the action I seek is for the minister to finally release the KPMG report into the true cost of caring and then work with Foster Carers Victoria and other carer bodies in order to finally lift the rate of Victoria’s carer allowance. Victoria’s carer allowance has not increased since 2016, yet over that period of time of course the cost of living has increased significantly. This is a huge challenge for Victoria as so many foster carers leave our system. Those opposite do not like talking about foster carers. In my short time as Shadow Minister for Child Protection and Youth Justice in this place, having only arrived 2½ years ago, I have now faced off against no fewer than four child protection ministers.

Indeed there have been four child protection ministers in the Andrews Labor government in the last 10 months alone. We have a new one, Colin Brooks, and Minister Brooks has seen fit to mention foster carers twice in his 16 years in this place. However, today he went on the attack based on reports in the media from the Commission for Children and Young People—the independent children’s commission, a Liberal creation—saying that it was appalling that the Andrews Labor government continues to stuff increasing numbers of young people into absolutely inadequate and inappropriate care in hotels and serviced apartments. According to the new minister, who has been in the job for two months, this is completely fine, there is nothing to see. Not so when it comes to the independent children’s commission. The children’s commission today said that the:

… increase in contingency placements is deeply concerning, given the inadequate quality and suitability of placements and the lack of continuity of staff …

The commission went on to say that the overall system is ‘underfunded and not fit for purpose’. The Foster Care Association of Victoria tweeted this afternoon also that the system under Labor is ‘not for fit for purpose’. However, Mr Brooks flatly rejected the findings of the independent children’s commission. He said in the other place earlier today that:

Children and young people in these situations are always supervised by appropriate staff and continue to access a range of services.

He is gaslighting Victorians. That is not what is occurring, and what we need to do is not simply focus, as he does and as all my previous opponents have done, on what the CPSU wants, which is more and more child protection workers. Child protection workers are amazing. They do great work in the community, but we need foster carers for these children so the government does not stuff them in hotels despite the fact that the new minister’s position—bizarrely against the children’s commission and against the Foster Care Association of Victoria—is that that is fine. Finally release the report that I have been fighting for through freedom of information, work with the foster carers association and increase the payment.