Kerrynne Liddle (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Child Protection and the Prevention of Family Violence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Where there are vulnerable people, there are those seeking to exploit. We must leave them nowhere to hide and nowhere to thrive. Failures in governance are foreseeable, preventable and potentially fixable, but there are some that are simply not. Adequate criteria, reporting, evaluation, assessment, regulation and legislation should be enough, although history tells us it is not. It is high expectations and courage to act that make the difference. On this measure, this government's performance is woeful.

The Albanese government has watched the chaos that is the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency for some 12 months, looking for excuses not to act. A board that's led an organisation into chaos is not likely the one that's going to fix it. Surely, there are enough smart people in the Albanese government and in the Attorney-General's Department to run the ruler over the discharge of director duties? There have been up to five acting CEOs in 12 months. Countless employees have come and gone. There's been silence, near nothing, from associated and other Aboriginal community controlled organisations. The Albanese government has been slow, irresponsible and gutless, even, in doing something practical, timely and effective to address it.

How is that possible, when crime rates are going up in the Northern Territory and so is family violence, children in child protection and people being incarcerated at record levels, that NAAJA has nearly $3 million in unspent funds? There were clearly indications something was up. I've been told in Senate estimates this government conducts due diligence before deploying taxpayers' money, but how can that be true? How can due diligence have been done when simple searches and questions uncover the following? Government funded organisations are employing people without police checks or working-with-children checks such that convicted criminals are making critical operational, contractual and financial decisions. Government agencies are unable to confirm they or the organisations they fund are compliant with the Commonwealth's own child safe framework. There's also a community controlled organisation recently funded by this government that the regulator's website reports has four directors and a membership of four. So every single member is a director. Organisational charts read more like family trees, with so many employed relatives it reflects a family business, only it's funded by taxpayers. An organisation given millions for the extension of a trial program required no reporting and no evaluation until the program was long finished. Organisations have been funded where not even directors are registered with their own corporate regulator let alone compliant with minimum government standards. Many organisations exist where there's not a single director with formal qualifications in accounting, law, governance or human resources, despite receiving millions in taxpayers' money—not a single director. How can that be? If it weren't so serious, it would be considered laughable. But this is far from funny.

When services don't deliver, there are victims, and they are the very people the services exist to serve. For them, we should demand even better. If you are going to be on a board there are financial responsibilities, delivery responsibilities and regulatory compliance responsibilities. All directors should have the capacity to discharge their duties as directors, whatever the sector.

When these organisations are Aboriginal community controlled, indigeneity is not the only thing they should have in their CV or that they happen to be interested in the job or are available.

I say taking an interest, acting on anomaly and expecting high performance are a must when delivering to vulnerable people. Instead, this government is ignoring the obvious, rewarding poor performance and turning its back on what matters: the vulnerable clients depending on it. This government knows these examples of poor governance, maladministration and maybe even fraud and corruption need further exploration. None of it would pass the pub test, let alone the legislation or regulation that enables it. I've raised these issues with ministers in Senate estimates, in budget estimates and in this chamber, yet the Albanese government, the Australian Greens and their friendly Independents still reject any suggestion of an audit.

An audit is long overdue. The evidence is in for an audit. Drain the swamp. Let the greens shoots sprout and prosper. Use community standards, common sense, regulation and legislation to lead the way to a right and proper outcome. Bring on the audit.