‘The system is broken’: Calls for a Royal Commission into QLD child safety
Queensland’s child safety record is being called to account following the death of a 4-year-old girl at Cannon Hill and the alleged neglect of two, 17 and 19-year-old youths at Stafford.
Peter Gleeson, a journalist at The Courier-Mail and Sky News told Deborah Knight the Child Safety Minister Di Farmer has “gotta go”.
“Their record on child safety takes the cake…16 children under the age of four have died under the care of Child Safety since 2015,” claims Mr Gleeson.
Mr Gleeson believes “the system is broken” and is calling on Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to launch a Royal Commission into the failures around child safety.
“We have had seven separate inquiries into Child Safety in QLD in the last 16 years.
“When are the inquiries going to stop and we’re going to actually get action?
“If we can’t protect our kids in 2020, what sort of society do we have here in Queensland?”
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Echoing the urgent call for justice, Dan Purdie, Shadow Queensland Police Minister told Mark Levy these horrific stories are becoming a weekly occurrence and “something needs to change”.
“We’re seeing way too many vulnerable, innocent young kids in Queensland that are falling through the cracks of a broken child protection system.
“It’s not uncommon now for the Palaszczuk/Labor government in QLD to continually pass the buck… down to some entry-level public servant who is understaffed and under-resourced… working in a broken system.
“The premier and the minister, in this case, refuse to take any responsibility, it’s just outrageous and the minister at a minimum needs to resign.”
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Image: Getty