Media release – Jack Davenport, independent candidate for Bass, 19 March 2024

Increasing proportion of Aboriginal children in state care means a new approach to child protection is needed

A future Tasmanian government must prioritise an urgent review of the child protection framework for Aboriginal children in the state. That’s the view of Jack Davenport, independent candidate in Bass, who has highlighted recent on released figures showing a rising proportion of Aboriginal children in out-of-home-care.

Recent data from the Productivity Commission shows a rise in the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in Tasmanian state care, from 32.7 per 1000 children in 2019, to 33.4 per 1000 in 2023. Meanwhile, the proportion of non-Indigenous children in state care has dropped from 7 per 1000 children to 5.4 per 1000 in the same time frame. These changes are consistent with national trends.
“Figures like this make it very difficult to see how any future Tasmanian government can continue to keep doing things ‘as normal’ when it comes to working with Aboriginal families. Over-representation of Aboriginal children in the care system is a nationwide issue, but that’s not an excuse for maintaining the same state policies when we know what the outcome will be.
“We need a combination of approaches from increased early intervention to enabling greater reunification to families. There are complex social and structural issues affecting Aboriginal families, but child protection services often set impossible goals for parents and fail to recognise the ongoing impacts of colonisation.
“We shouldn’t just limit this discussion to a question of resourcing or practice approaches for individual workers. We need to look at whether the wider child protection framework is fit for purpose and how this can be supported, by increased Aboriginal involvement in decision-making, and by adequate resourcing and funding for vitally needed services.
“Any future government should give careful consideration to the expectations and needs of the Aboriginal community in Tasmania if we are to get any improvement. Appointing a Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People should be a priority.
“It’s clear that we need to make the change to a new way of working in child protection, otherwise things will continue to get worse.”
Other information:
The Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre has previously called for the Tasmanian Government to restore jurisdiction for child safety to the Aboriginal community –

Information from the Productivity Commission can be found here –

(Note the numbers of children in state care with their cultural status not recorded. Jack has raised this issue previously –

Jack Davenport is a social worker, with over ten years of experience in child protection, including in Tasmania. In 2022 he gave evidence of the Commission of Inquiry, including recommending a separate process for managing child safety issues where a child is Aboriginal. Jack Davenport’s witness statement to the COI can be found here (relevant paragraphs 147-156) –
The Commission of Inquiry made a specific recommendation for the appointment of a new Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People to advocate broadly for Aboriginal children, particularly for those in out of home care and youth detention.