Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

on indulgence—I want to rise to acknowledge Denise and Bruce Morcombe, who honour us with their presence in the parliament today. I had the privilege of meeting with them in my office earlier this morning.

In 2003 Denise and Bruce lived every parent's very worst nightmare, when their beloved son Daniel was taken from them just before his 14th birthday. Bruce and Denise suffered a terrible loss and endured what must have felt like an endless wait for answers and for a measure of justice. Yet they channelled that unimaginable grief and sadness into something quite extraordinary, the Daniel Morcombe Foundation, an organisation dedicated to keeping children safe both in the physical environment and online.

Today we had the opportunity, tragically, to talk about the shift that's occurred in risk. When most of us in this chamber were younger, there wasn't the threat of online danger, of grooming or of the sorts of attacks and vulnerability that young people have today. The role that these two great citizens of Queensland have played in raising awareness is, I think, quite inspirational. Through nearly 20 years of Days for Daniel, Dances for Daniel, and a host of other initiatives, the foundation has raised funds and awareness to support the work they do across Australia, giving presentations on child safety to schools and community groups and helping parents have those all-important conversations with their children about the risks that are out there. I think the figure they were aiming for was 8,000 schools to be engaged with, which is amazing.

As every parent knows, this is a challenge that is constantly evolving—and I know you've been involved with the organisation yourself, Mr Speaker—especially with technology and social media moving so fast and extending seemingly into every corner of our lives. All of us are grappling with what we can do as parents and as lawmakers, and I know I speak for the whole parliament when I say that we are grateful that Denise and Bruce are providing their expertise and perspective to the National Strategy Advisory Group of the National Office for Child Safety.

The National Office for Child Safety was established by the Turnbull government, acting on the recommendation of the Gillard government's Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The office leads the implementation of the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse. This is and always will be an area that commands the support of every member of this chamber. That's why, at our meeting today, we discussed your request for funding for the Day for Daniel, Australia's biggest child safety lesson, and a legacy educational piece for the 20th year as well. I can inform Denise and Bruce that this afternoon I will take a proposal for a one-off $2 million payment to the foundation to our budget process. I've discussed this with the Leader of the Opposition, and I thank him as well for reaching across the aisle. We've had a couple of constructive discussions prior to question time today. This is not a partisan issue; this is an issue in which we all join together in this chamber. I hope that this relatively small amount of funding, though, will enable you to really get on your feet and to achieve what you want to—particularly with the 20th anniversary, which is something that I think is deserving of this parliament's support.

The government is grateful for the backing that the Daniel Morcombe Foundation has given to the current 'One Talk at a Time' campaign, which is aimed at preventing child sexual abuse. Bruce and Denise, you have shown a courage and resilience that lifts us all up. Your foundation inspires, it educates and it helps make Australia a better and a safer place. Above all, your work represents a lasting expression of profound love for your son. Thank you for being here today, and thank you for what you do.

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