NATIONAL STRATEGY TO
PREVENT CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE
143. Hon NICK GOIRAN to the parliamentary
secretary representing the Minister for Child Protection:
I refer to the recent announcement
that the commonwealth government will provide $146 million over four years for
the first phase of a new national strategy to prevent child sexual abuse.
(1) Is the
minister aware that this strategy will be a 10-year, whole-of-nation framework
to establish a coordinated and consistent approach to prevent and better
respond to child sexual abuse in Australia?
(2) Will any
initiatives be delivered by our state government?
(3) If yes to
(2), will the minister table a list of those initiatives?
(4) How many
staff, both in head count and FTE, are responsible for the delivery of those
initiatives for which the state government will be involved?
Hon
SAMANTHA ROWE replied:
I thank the member for some notice
of the question.
(1) Yes.
(2) It is anticipated that initiatives under the
national strategy to prevent and respond to child sexual abuse will
initially be implemented through a four-year national action plan followed by
two subsequent three-year national action plans. The national action plans and
initiatives under each will be delivered in partnership between the
commonwealth and state and territory governments.
(3) The national strategy will be considered, and is
expected to be endorsed, by state and territory first ministers in
September 2021.
(4) In 2019, the McGowan government provided $3.631 million
to undertake policy and program development to support implementation of
the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to
Child Sexual Abuse. Each agency involved in the implementation also provides
resources to support the 10-year program of work. Any further resourcing will
be determined following finalisation of the strategy's action plans.