source : the age
An independent inquiry will be launched into Queensland’s child protection system after significant failures were identified in the case of one of Australia’s worst paedophiles.
The Blue Card system, which allows people to work with children, was expected to be closely examined under the inquiry, to be headed by Luke Twyford from the Child Death Review Committee.
Attorney-General Deb Frecklington said many parents and families had been let down, and she raised the case of “horrific” childcare rapist Ashley Paul Griffith, and the murder of Tiahleigh Palmer by her foster father.
Queensland Attorney-General Deb Frecklington speaking on Tuesday.Credit: Cloe Read
Premier David Crisafulli highlighted the need to “shine a spotlight” on what he described as a broken system.
Under the inquiry, documents and information would be requested from Australian Federal Police, the Queensland Police Service and the Department of Education and other areas to determine gaps in the system.
“It follows the horrendous breach of trust that was the situation with Ashley Paul Griffith, a breach of trust that shows how broken the system is and the need to shine a spotlight to fix it,” Crisafulli said.
Ashley Paul Griffith was sentenced to life in prison in November.Credit: Marija Ercegovac
The announcement came days after Griffith’s legal team confirmed it would appeal his sentence, on the grounds it was manifestly excessive.
Griffith was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a non-parole period of 27 years, for sexually abusing dozens of children while he worked in childcare centres. The crimes dated back to 2003, with the youngest victim a one-year-old.
After his arrest, it was revealed people had reported Griffith’s behaviour earlier but he was not caught, raising questions about the effectiveness of the Blue Card system.
Frecklington said the former Labor government had failed to implement recommendations from a 2017 Blue Card review, and the children of Queensland had been failed as a result.
She said of the 81 recommendations made then, the former government had not implemented at least 20.
“The former government has, it could be said, let this issue happen,” she said.
“Why are we here today? What we have seen is a former government that failed to act on serious recommendations from previous reviews into protecting children who are the most vulnerable of society.”
But Frecklington stopped short of promising to accept or implement all the recommendations by Twyford, who planned to deliver a report later this year.
“Let’s have a look at what the commissioner hands to the government,” she said.
Asked about Labor’s failure to implement the recommendations, Twyford said it was concerning when a government received a report, and there was no immediate response on either implementation or rejection.
“To have recommendations sitting in abeyance for multiple years is not the best way to produce sound policy,” he said.
Twyford said the review would be transparent with details of the status and progress uploaded on the review’s website.
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