16th of October 2024, 1:59pm
Parliament of Victoria | Legislative Council
Motion 626 DAVID ETTERSHANK — To move —
That this House notes that —
- Aboriginal children and young people are grossly over-represented in Victoria’s child protection system and in out-of-home care;
- the number of Aboriginal children and young people in out-of-home care in Victoria is double the national average;
- Aboriginal children are —
(a) over 20 times more likely to be in out-of-home care than non-Aboriginal children;
(b) nearly six times more likely to be the subject of a report to child protection services than non-Aboriginal children;
(c) nearly nine times more likely to be found to be in need of protection by child protection services than non-Aboriginal children; - Aboriginal children in out-of-home care are more vulnerable to abuse, death, suicide and sexual exploitation, as detailed in a recent inquest into the suicide of a young Aboriginal person in state care;
- the Government has failed to address the risks to Aboriginal children within the child protection system despite multiple inquiries and the findings and recommendations of the Yoorrook Justice Commission;
and calls on the Government to transfer decision-making power, authority, control and resources to First Peoples, giving full effect to self-determination in the Victorian child protection system, as recommended by the Yoorrook Justice Commission.
[Notice given on 15 October 2024 — Listed for 2 days].