A landmark Queensland inquiry has branded the state's child protection system a failure, issuing 52 recommendations for radical change including overhauling residential care and adoption laws for Indigenous children. The political response has been swift and confrontational.
Queensland 's child safety inquiry has delivered a scathing assessment of the state's child protection system, calling for sweeping reforms following the tabling of its final report.
The commission, a fulfillment of an election commitment by the Crisafulli government, handed down its findings on May 22, immediately igniting political debate. The report declares that the high number of children in state care-approximately 13,500 as of March last year, the highest of any Australian state-is itself a 'measure of failure.
' Commissioner Paul Anastassiou wrote that despite decades of inquiries and analysis, the system continues to fail children and the community. The commission frames its duty as identifying and overcoming the persistent barriers to reform.
Among its 52 recommendations are a complete overhaul of the Department of Child Safety, the creation of a permanent reform office, and a radical shift in adoption policy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, proposing it should no longer be a last resort, despite strong opposition from Indigenous stakeholders. The report also criticizes the state's over-reliance on the $1-billion-a-year residential care sector, run largely by non-government providers, where two-thirds of reported sexual abuse incidents occur.
It suggests the state may need to become a provider itself and calls for a targeted strategy to protect girls in care. While the report does not recommend removing the current Child Safety Minister, Amanda Camm, she separately pledged to end the placement of children under five in residential care.
Attorney-General Deb Frecklington, who tabled the report, committed only to forming a cabinet subcommittee to consider the findings, suggesting a two-month timeline for a response ahead of the June state budget. She framed the report as evidence of failures by the previous Labor government. The opposition seized on the report, with Deputy Leader Cameron Dick highlighting a sharp decline in timely priority response investigations and Leader Steven Miles calling for Camm's removal, alleging she is too distracted.
Major child welfare and Indigenous advocacy groups are still digesting the extensive report
Queensland Child Protection Inquiry Reform Residential Care Adoption Indigenous Children Crisafulli Government Labor Opposition
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