Natasha Stott Despoja (SA, Australian Democrats) Share this | Hansard source

The Democrats will be supporting this amendment to the object section of schedule 1. We regret that safeguards that we have all attempted to include in this bill so far have not been supported in relation to this section. We consider that, by adding the qualifying paragraph (1A) to section 60B(1) of meaningful involvement, this particular amendment constitutes an improvement to the legislation. It will operate to restrict meaningful involvement referred to paragraph (1A) so that it does not include a relationship where the child is at risk of exposure to family violence, abuse or neglect. That amendment should be passed.

Question negatived.

I move Democrats amendment R(10) on sheet 4866 revised:

R(10) Schedule 1, item 9, page 8 (after line 14), after subsection 60CC(2), insert:

          (2A)   For the avoidance of doubt, the reference in paragraph (2)(a) to meaningful relationship means a relationship in which the child has not been and is not at risk of being exposed to abuse, neglect or family violence.

This amendment seeks to ensure that a meaningful relationship is limited so that it is one in which the child has not been and is not at risk of being exposed to abuse, family violence and neglect. The provision is self-explanatory. Its obvious intention is to protect children. We have made it clear that we do not believe that there are appropriate safeguards at present to protect children from harm but, obviously, we have a different definition of meaningful relationship, so I can see where this amendment is going and, with great disappointment, read the numbers.