Bridget Archer (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

[by video link] My question is to the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Will the minister outline to the House the importance of the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse, launched today by the Prime Minister with the support of every state and territory leader?

Ben Morton (Tangney, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister and Cabinet) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

RTON (—) (): I thank the member for Bass for her important and strong advocacy on these issues. As someone who can only imagine the lasting impact of these heinous crimes against children, I've been rocked with what I've learnt as the minister responsible for the National Office for Child Safety. That is why, appropriately, I acknowledge victim-survivors, their advocates, their families and those who work to support them. I also acknowledge Steve Irons, my predecessor, who did much of the work in this role. Sadly, the rate of child sexual abuse is increasing. Between 2014 and 2019 the number of recorded sexual assaults against children or young people increased by 21 per cent. That's from 13,353 to 16,140. Reports of online child sexual abuse have increased as well. During the COVID-19 lockdown last year that increased by 122 per cent. Sadly the reach of Australian perpetrators also extends overseas.

We have no greater responsibility as a government than to protect our children and to ensure their safety. Today the Prime Minister and I launched the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse. We announced $307.5 million for its initial implementation. This is over and above the commitments of the individual states and territories for them to fulfil their responsibilities. The national strategy is a 10-year whole-of-nation framework for coordinating an approach to preventing and responding to child sexual abuse. It has the backing of all state and territory leaders. It aims to reduce the risk, extent and impact of child sexual abuse and related harms in Australia. There are five key themes: awareness raising; education and building child-safe cultures; supporting and empowering victims and survivors; enhancing national approaches to children with harmful sexual behaviours; offender prevention and intervention; and improving the evidence base. This strategy responds to the 100 royal commission recommendations and goes further.

Since 2018 the National Office for Child Safety has been consulting extensively to develop a strategy. These consultations built on the royal commission findings and the experience of victims and survivors. The bulk of the consultations in relation to this strategy occurred between 2018 and 2020. Consultations throughout 2021 focused heavily on how government and non-government agencies would implement the finalising of the strategy's vision and objectives. The national strategy recognises that every child and young person has the right to be protected and to be safe from sexual abuse. It recognises that those who have experienced child sexual abuse are still dealing with the impacts. It recognises that everyone has a role to play to respond to and to prevent child sexual abuse.