Pauline Hanson (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Hansard source

Sorry, but a lot of Australians wouldn't agree with you on that. As I said, court cases can go over a lengthy period of time. In the time they are in that courtroom, a child may go through from being seven up to about 10 years of age. Their opinions change. To say once only is a terrible response. That determination in this bill, I think, is poor. It is pathetic when you can't answer anything. My question was about the best interests of the child, and you tell me they only need to meet with the child once? Well, sorry, that's not good enough.

I also want to go to my amendment while we are talking about the ICLs. My amendment on sheet 2131 is about ICLs needing to have better training. It says:

(2A) If a lawyer has not previously been appointed as an independent children's lawyer, the court must not appoint that lawyer under subsection (2) unless the lawyer has undertaken training under an approved program.

(2B) If a lawyer has previously been appointed as an independent children's lawyer and has regularly performed the functions of an independent children's lawyer for a period of 2 years or more, the court must not appoint that lawyer under subsection (2), unless:

(a) a period of at least one year (the interim period ) has passed since the lawyer's last appointment as an independent children's lawyer ended; and

(b) during the interim period the lawyer has undertaken further training under an approved program.

I state this because a lot of these children's lawyers are just caught up in the system, and it's a revolving door. They just keep going with the same views. I believe that they should need updated training. Get them out of the system to do more training and then come back, so they are aware of the children's needs. A lot of these children's lawyers have not been required to even meet with the children. They've never met with the children. A lot of them wouldn't even have had the psychological training to understand a child or to interview a child to see how they feel about it. That's another thing that I need to ask you, Minister. What training do these ICLs have to have when they're dealing with children, and the psychological impacts on children, to make the best decisions to advise the courts on what's in the best interest of the child?