00:00Today, I can announce we are launching an inquiry into the broken child protection system
00:07in this state.
00:08A system that we have spoken about for a long time, a system that we, if you go back some
00:14of our comments regarding blue cards and the need to ensure that that is a more robust
00:19system and enables people who come into action with our most vulnerable to be fit and proper
00:26people and nothing short of getting to the bottom of the broken system will cut it in
00:32the eyes of Queenslanders and today we take another step in that journey.
00:37This is fulfilling an election commitment we made and in a moment I'll ask the Attorney
00:41to speak a little bit more about it.
00:44It also follows the horrendous breach of trust that was the situation with Ashley Paul Griffith,
00:51a breach of trust that shows how broken the system is and the need to shine a spotlight
00:56to fix it and today is a step in the journey towards fixing that broken system.
01:03The failures in the child protection system go back many years and there have been many
01:07vulnerable children who have had some of the most horrendous things occur because of that
01:12broken system.
01:14But when it comes to the case of Ashley Paul Griffith, that was the one that really sheeted
01:21it home to Queenslanders.
01:25It was the most horrific of crimes.
01:27It highlighted failures in the system.
01:30More of the same isn't going to cut it and we are taking action.
01:33It is essential that when parents drop their kids off at childcare or at school that they
01:39know that they are safe and that is exactly what this review will do and hopefully give
01:45confidence back to the parents of Queensland that there is a government in place that have
01:51their children as number one here in this state.
01:54The terms of reference will assist to allow us to look into the laws and the policies
02:00and the procedures and practices of what went wrong.
02:04What should have happened to enable earlier identification of people putting children
02:10in harm's way.
02:11It will look into early childhood education and to police and the blue card systems that
02:19have operated during the time of Ashley Paul Griffith's offending and what gaps are in
02:25the system and where and how those gaps can be filled.
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