Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that the Government is currently undertaking a refresh of the Closing the Gap targets;

(b) acknowledges that:

  (i) Aboriginal children are over-represented in child protection systems around the country, and are more than nine times more likely than their non-Aboriginal counterparts to be placed in out-of-home care,

  (ii) there is a pressing need to address the underlying causes of over-representation, and improve the life outcomes of Aboriginal children taken into care, and

  (iii) Aboriginal children have a right to be safe, and to be connected to kin and culture in line with the National Framework for Protecting Australia's Children 2009-2020;

(c) recognises the need for Aboriginal-led solutions in Aboriginal communities, rather than top-down approaches from Government; and

(d) urges the Government to include reducing out-of-home care in the refreshed Closing the Gap targets, and ensure that vulnerable families are receiving the support they need for improved outcomes and safety of children.