Information released by the Department of Health and Human Services today demonstrates that Labor and the unions have tried to mislead Tasmanians with false claims about caseloads.
Where Labor and the Greens failed, the Hodgman Liberal Government is fixing our child protection system with a full redesign backed up by a $51.3 million investment in this Budget in Child Safety Services, out of home care and associated ICT.
Playing a political role to support the Labor Opposition rather than a constructive one to help vulnerable children, the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) has misrepresented data to make alarming claims, such as 320 children supposedly being in excess of caseload.
Today, a response to a Right to Information (RTI) request from Labor’s Josh Willie has, ironically, exposed this and other claims for the lies that they are.
The data shows that caseloads have remained static over the last few years and nowhere is there a figure given of 320 children being in excess of caseload. Nor is there any evidence to back up the union’s claim of “one officer who should have a caseload of 15 children but was carrying 58”.
These numbers appear to have been dreamt up by a union that is more interested in trying to score cheap political points than it is in getting the best outcomes for both Child Safety Services staff and their clients – children in need.
Under our redesign, we are employing 19 more staff in Child Safety Services this coming financial year, as part of an overall commitment of an extra 31 positions under the redesign of child safety services.
The CPSU needs to seriously rethink its approach here because its members would surely prefer it engage positively in the redesign rather than fearmongering.
In the interests of accountability and transparency, the response to Mr Willie’s RTI has uploaded to the Department’s website and can be found here:
www.dhhs.tas.gov.au/about_the_department/your_rights/rti/right_to_information_disclosure_log
Jacquie Petrusma, Minister for Human Services
