Linda Burney (Barton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The first principle of child protection must always be the rights and interests of the child. If a child's wellbeing is compromised, they must be made safe and removed from that danger. This is deeply understood and supported by our leader, my colleagues in the Labor Party and, I'm sure, all members of this place. Labor's position to ensure the immediate safety and security of First Nations children is unequivocal. All of us in this place understand all too well the intergenerational impacts of removal.

The first act of the newly elected Rudd government in 2008 was to make an apology to the stolen generations. This year marks the 10th anniversary of that apology and 21 years since the Bringing them home report. The report and the apology showed us that the removal of First Nations children from their families, their communities and their culture on such a mass scale had devastating consequences that transcended generations—consequences that we still see today. In part, it contributes to the gap in quality-of-life outcomes—the gaps in health, education, employment and training. There are the impacts of the removal policies. The Bringing them home report said:

The impacts of the removal policies continue to resound through the generations of Indigenous families.

Recently, the government announced its response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The inquiry found that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are significantly overrepresented in out-of-home care and youth detention, exposing them to environments with greater risk. It is difficult to ignore how the issues of institutionalised child abuse and the removal of First Nations children is inextricably linked. The royal commission found that being strong in culture is protective for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children's wellbeing because it can support strong identity, high self-esteem and strong attachments.

One of the recommendations of the Bringing them home report was that, if an Indigenous child must be removed, they are placed with family or a member of their community—the Indigenous child placement principle, kinship care. It follows that, yes, if a child is in danger, they should be removed, but that doesn't mean that they should accept the endless widespread removal of First Nations children from their families. I do not accept the false dichotomy that somehow we must choose between a child's welfare and Indigenous culture, as if the two were somehow incompatible. It is dishonest, offensive and cynical to take on this issue.

As the Minister for Community Services in New South Wales, I saw firsthand the complex nature of challenges in child protection. We are confronted with the strong possibility of another stolen generation and all of the intergenerational ramifications that has for future First Nations children and governments. The number of Indigenous children in out-of-home care has virtually doubled from 9,000 to 17,000. At this rate, by 2025 the number will surpass the total number removed as part of the stolen generations. It is a complex policy area and will require a nuanced, holistic and comprehensive policy approach led by First Nations people who work in this space, like the Family Matters campaign.

Reducing the number of removals means creating safe and healthy domestic environments for First Nations children. This means improving health and employment outcomes. It means improving housing. We need better cultural understanding and training for service providers, but we also need to involve in the policy-making process those who are most affected by this issue. We need to empower First Nations communities to build safe communities for Indigenous children. As the Prime Minister said, we need to speak with First Nations people and not to them.

Labor in government will host a summit in the first 100 days for First Nations community groups and leaders to discuss the issue of child protection and child removal if we are afforded government. Mr Speaker, I know, as you do, that this is a deeply complex issue, but it must be addressed. I say this to everyone in this House, and I know that everyone would agree with me: this is not just the business of First Nations people; this is the business of all of us.