An inquiry into the rate of aboriginal children in out-of-home care in South Australia has recommended the formation of an Aboriginal child and peak body. The "holding onto our future" report was tabled in state parliament today. It's aimed at proposing solutions to reduce the number of Indigenous children on long-term guardianship orders and to improve the rate of family reunification. South Australia's Aboriginal Children's Commissioner has warned child removals will reach similar rates to the stolen generation if no changes are made.
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00:001 in 10 Aboriginal children in South Australia are in state care.
00:07If nothing changes, and I've said this before,
00:12in South Australia, 140 in every 1,000 Aboriginal children
00:18will be in state care by 2031.
00:21This growth must stop.
00:24It must be reversed.
00:26This report is about truth-telling.
00:29It's time to start listening.
00:32The time for change is needed now.
00:34I'd like to share five things that must change
00:38if we are to reverse these numbers.
00:41One, make changes to the legislation
00:45to reinstate the primacy of child's best interest
00:49and embed the full Aboriginal Child Placement Principle
00:53as the paramount consideration for Aboriginal children
00:56when considering their safety, wellbeing and best interests.
01:01And give the courts the powers to make orders
01:03for contact and reunification, not the state.
01:07We must change how decisions are made
01:10and put Aboriginal people in decision-making
01:13for Aboriginal children, especially their families.
01:17Aboriginal people are invested in our Aboriginal children like no other.
01:25Three, abolish the use of assessment tools
01:28proven to be culturally biased towards Aboriginal people.
01:32Cultural bias exists within child protection here in South Australia
01:37and significantly increases the likelihood of removal.
01:41And once removed, our Aboriginal children
01:44are less likely to be reunified.
01:48Fourthly, intervention must be earlier
01:52by giving parents intensive and sustained support
01:55to prevent issues from escalating in the first place.
01:59This means more investment by government
02:01and involve more of our Aboriginal organisations
02:04to support families and prevent removals.
02:09And fifthly, legally empower and resource the Aboriginal community
02:16to implement a distinct kinship care system
02:21for our Aboriginal children and young people.
02:24Where Aboriginal children are removed or require care,
02:28they must be placed with family and kept connected
02:32with their culture and their community.
02:37Failure to act means the cycle will continue.
02:41Struggling, vulnerable families from our Aboriginal community
02:45will continue to encounter the child protection system
02:48at increasing rates.
02:51Government will pay the cost, one way or another,
02:55for matters that are preventable.
02:58The Aboriginal community will no longer tolerate this cost
03:02to continue at the expense of our children and young people
03:06and obviously our future generations.