An independent, rapid review will probe child protection services in an iron-ore-rich mining region after a dozen children were reportedly found living unsupervised in squalor.
The national Indigenous children’s commissioner also called for new Western Australian laws to protect and respect the rights of Aboriginal children across the state.
“The circumstances reported in South Hedland demand answers,” National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People Sue-Anne Hunter said on Friday following her return to Perth.
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“We will continue to see the same things happen again and again if urgent action is not taken.”
Reports first appearing in The Australian newspaper described more than a dozen children living unsupervised in squalor in a South Hedland home, about 1600km north of Perth.
It triggered a political storm that led to the family being removed and Child Protection Minister Jessica Stojkovski and the commissioner visiting the town of about 11,000.
The WA child protection department has been accused of previously failing to act in the case of an Indigenous mother convicted of murdering her three young children in Port Hedland in 2022.
Aboriginal Elders have called for a Royal Commission into WA’s child protection agency and for Stojkovski to resign.
She has not done so and said she would listen to the community.
Human rights advocate Hannah McGlade said child protection systems had failed and authorities were not listening to the “voices and the concerns of Aboriginal women about what needs to change to keep our children and families safe”.
“If we don’t act now, this is incredibly dangerous to children,” she said.
“We have the commitment, we have the solutions, and we want to go forward and work closely with the state government on these issues.”
Council of Aboriginal Services WA chief executive Chad Stewart said WA was lagging behind the rest of the nation on child protection-related services.
“In WA we just don’t have many Aboriginal community organisations providing child protection-related services to out-of-home care,” he said.
“Communities know their patch.”
Hunter, Indigenous Elders, Aboriginal community-controlled organisations, academics, child protection experts and advocates called on the WA government to better protect Indigenous children.
They also urged it to immediately establish an independent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Commissioner.
Doing so would bring WA into line with other jurisdictions.
The office should have independence and powers to monitor and advance First Nations children’s rights across WA, the group said.
They also want an independent peak body that represents all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families to be established.
The National Commission will also review child protection and the broader child and family support systems in the Pilbara.
It will examine how children move through the system and the consequences when it breaks down.
These include bolstering child protection staff in the town and creating a local co-ordination group to help government services, such as child protection, police, housing and youth justice, work together more effectively.
A state government spokesperson said the safety and wellbeing of children was a top priority and it was committed to working closely with vulnerable children and families to ensure they received the support they needed.“The premier would welcome the opportunity to discuss the outcomes of the roundtable with the national commissioner and welcomes the rapid review,” the spokesperson said.
“It is important to note, these issues are complex and longstanding, and there is no simple fix. Real generational change will require all levels of government to work together.”
First Nations people seeking mental health support should contact Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander crisis support line 13YARN on 13 92 76 or 13yarn.org.au.
If you need help in a crisis, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. In an emergency call triple-0.
