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.
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