The establishment of the Queensland Protection Commission is another step in addressing failures that resulted in Queensland’s children and vulnerable people being put at risk according to Member for Burdekin Dale Last MP.

“Protecting Queensland’s children and vulnerable people is one of government’s key responsibilities,” Mr Last said.  “The Crisafulli government made a commitment to strengthening the child protection system and we are delivering on that commitment with nation-leading laws.”

“Just 10 days after taking office the review was underway and what was revealed was a litany of failure.  The system was riddled with gaps when it came to sharing information and responsibilities were fragmented across agencies causing confusion and delaying action”

“The review centered around the case of Ashley Paul Griffith who had slipped through the net despite committing more than 300 offences against children over a 20-year period. Flaws in the sharing of information meant that he worked at several childcare centres without a valid Blue Card and that reports of unacceptable behaviour were not actioned because he was no longer working at the centre where the behaviour occurred.”

“All in all, the review identified five opportunities where Ashley Paul Griffith could have been stopped.  The reality is missing those opportunities resulted in real harm that will impact those children and their families for the rest of their lives.”

The passing of the Legislation follows the government bringing forward implementation of Queensland’s Reportable Conduct Scheme, but Mr Last would not rule additional action to keep children safe.

“We make no apology for prioritising the safety of Queenslanders,” he said.  “We have significantly strengthened current protections and have a plan in place for improvements but, if more needs to be done, then we will do it to protect children and vulnerable Queenslanders from those who seek to prey on them.”

“The Reportable Conduct Scheme means certain actions or behaviours must be reported, regardless of whether it seems like a minor or isolated incident.  People who fail to disclose reportable conduct allegations or knowingly providing false information will be held accountable, and so they should because the community expects everyone to play their part.”

“We are also progressing the creation of an Intelligence Hub which will collect information from across various agencies with the goal of preventing offending.”

“Up until now the system has responded after harm occurs.  By being proactive the aim is to prevent abuse before it happens and give Queensland families the confidence that their children can safely achieve their full potential.”