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16 LETTERS
TUESDAY AUGUST 9 2016 ADVERTISER.COM.AU
The Advertiser
can system be fixed with , trust broken IN mid-2004, the newly minted Families and Communities Minister Jay W eatherill emphatically outlined the urgency of fundamental cultural change within the key government agency responsible for child protection. Declaring the need for a new sense of direction, Mr Weatherill then committed to refocusing and rebuilding, saying we must be much more diligent in the care we provide to children. little more than 12 years later, Mr Weatherill- now Premier for al.most five years - sounds like a broken record when responding to the damning Child Protection Systems Royal Commission report, released yesterday. ' Apologising for failing to keep children in state care safe, Mr Weatherill declared Commissioner Margaret Nyland's report a comprehensive blueprint for a new child protection system and, as in 2Q04, a chance for a fresh start. Since then, there have been a litany of scandals. Chief among these is the outrage which triggered the Royal Commission - Families SA carer Shannon McCoole's shocking abuse of children in .his care at a state-run home. Then there is the tragedy of Chloe Valentine and the systemic problems outlined in former Supreme Court justice Bruce Debelle's 2013 report. Only one word can describe what's happened in the past 12 years - failure. Complete and utter failure by departments, a government and by the minister who became Premier to fulfil his promise to be much more diligent in the care provided to children under -state guardianship. The result is that children who should have been protected were left disgracefully vulnerable. 1t meant that a monster like McCoole was allowed to run rampant within Families . SA. It meant that troubled children were left at the
mercy of disturbed parents who simply had no mercy. The Nyland report into these incidents is an appalling document in our ~tate's history. Alarmingly, these scandals could have been avpided if our leaders had lived up to their promises, not just spoken soothing words. This raises the obvious question - can this government rectify the troubled system and, ultimately, protect our children? No one doubts that .t he task is anything but extremely challenging. Nobody can protect every single child. But Mr Weatherill is guilty of defending for too long his changes that have proven to be abject failures, most notably his mer:ger four years ago of Families SA and the Education Department split in June after the royal commission's damning interim findings. When The Advertiser's Nigel Hunt revealed that McCoole slipped through the net when official concerns about his behaviour were not adequately investigated, Mr Weatherill heaped cynicism on the report, only to be proved wrong. It is astounding that Lauren Novak's revelations that Families SA workers were leaving callers to the agency's abuse report line on hold for at least an hour were not fixed immediately, rather than waiting for royal commission findings. Reports like these, on The Advertiser's front pages, were uncomfortable but they exposed catastrophic failings that were imperilling vulnerable children. The State Government is again hailing day one of a new regime. But for many people who've been involved in child protection, it's simply groundhog day. There are serious concerns that, despite the rhetoric, the same mistakes will be made by the same people who more than a decade ago promised to fix the system.
Responsibility for all editorial comment is taken by The Editor. Sam Weir, 31 Waymouth St. Adelaide. SA .5000 ~
Digital details THE Census crept up on us without much warning arid with zero education about the process. There is lots of hysteria and concern about online privacy issues. Yet, only a few weeks back people were agitating'for online voting at the federal election. -You can't have it both ways. People need to understand tha~ paper 'forms get scanned and the details are stored electronically. J have confidence in the integrity of the stored data - unless it is stored in an offshore cloud database. (Cir) BOB SCHNELL City of Unley.
Grief gets louder· THE reason that there is way louder criticism of the Census this ti:r!J.e is not that it has changed its privacy practices or gone online. It's that social media now exists for the many people who don:'t.likeitto express their unhappiness, and hear that a lot of other people don't like it either, and be emboldened in their criticism by that. Rather just quietly doing it but resenting having to, or lying on it or evading doing it.
charities, salespeople and poli-
THAT'S torn it! Sadly for the Power fans. Never Tear Us Apart will unfortunately need to be relegated back to the INXS songbook after the ripping job the Swannies did on their team. ISHMAEL. Hallett Cove. SHOULD the census show a
SACE. Rocket scientist. PAUL Warradale.
ph0ne number to ring you at all hours? There are both state and federal electoral rolls which anyone can access. We may not be able to trust ;my .o f our politicians but the ABS Is not a political P,arty.lt is not in the ABS's interest, nor is it legal, to reveal our details to 0ther people. If the ABS has any queries about the information we have entered then they have our name. What is unreasonable or GORDON DRENNAN. privacy-invading about that? L6cal councils al.Feady Burton. know our names, addresses, age, .gender, inco)lle range, whether or not we are single, WHY are people jumping up married, living alone or with and down about their privacy someone. State Gov:ernments during the Census? This entire ,have all our details- driver's liprivacy issue has gone beyond cence, health; you name it, sanity and defies rationality. they have it. Can anyone actually proIf the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) which is mn- vide proof that their private inducting the Census, any of · formation is, or has been, their staff, any adult member illegally used? I doubt it. of the genetal public could Social media site users are even be bothered to find out probably giving away mo.r:e information about us, there are personal 'infoi::mation than plenty of ways of doing so even they realise. ROBERT MCCORMICK. printed and/or online any time Bridgewater. during any year. Police officers - including corrupt ones - have the right to ask to see your driver's licence. They have also the right I HAVE been asking these to make ·a note of your name same questions for years, but and address. Australia Post no one has been able to give knows your name and address me an answer. - how else can they -deliver Why do we ·need to put our mail to you? name on the Cen~us form? Do Telephone directories for the ABS need to know how one. Just how do you think all m31!y Tinas there are? Why do we need to put our those abusive pests - from
Data's already out
What's in a name
THE Olympics should remain a travelling circus but the IOC should be removed as the circus manager because they make FIFA look clean. HOWARD COOMBE. I HAVE been noticing media ads that say emergency departments will be here if you need us that are "authorised by the Government of SA". Aren'tthese the same clowns who are trying
street number on the form? In the old days the collector knew where they left the forms and from where they collected them, marking them off of their sheet. So if there are 40 homes in a street, and 40 forms lianded out ... then 40 should comeback. There is no privacy whatsoever with the Censas. Even less · now that it can be done online. So basically now my question is: Why do they need ·our · name. on the form? The computer has shown me the reason now why the full address is required - because it will have to be checked off against records to make sure that each household has filled one in.
Government. This appears to be a familiar trend for govemm~ts to directly or indirectly financially bully Australians for their private information. For patients, this is an opt out system and not an opt in one. The Federal Government recently passed a law that meant we have all automatically eonsented to it Unless you tell yow; GP you do n0t want to be part ofit, you are. Your most sensitive and private health data may be .exposed. Despite many protests by national medical associations and medi:cal defence insurers, there are still no dear and failsafe legal or system protections in place. This is an unprecedented TINA LLOYD, North Haven. breach. of human rights that has bipartisan support and · costs $2.1 bil)ion. Don't believe me, ask your GP af your next NiCK Xenophon's comments visit. DAVID DAHM, Adelaide. on the ABS Census privacy concern~ ("Common sense or sum of all evil?", The Advertiser, 6/8/16) pale well into inTODAY'S Census has already significan~e when you look at the new Federal Government's made history with a leading My Health patient electronic betting agency laying short records program (https://my- odds that "no religion" - on the Question of "religious afhealthrecm:d.gov.au). .l ike it or not, every Austra- filiation" - will out-poll Calian has a unique identifier that tholics, historically the instantly tags all your sensitive traditional winners. "No religion" is now first health information every time you visit your doctor. option, up from last place in Right now your trusted every other Census. ABS says local GP could b~ uploading this mirrors the format used in your medical records with or most Western countries. England is '48 per cent ~;ion without your full understanding. GPs and practices have religious, Scotland 52 per cent been told if they do not provide and New Zealand 42 per cent. this information they will lose Australia's "no religion" significant funding from the score is predicted to go above 40 per cent, double its 22 per cent when buried in last place. Those who automatically marked a childhood religion - which. they no IongE:![ practise - will think more seriousmajority of citizens saying they ly- about how religious they have no religion. will all the really are, now that "no revarious religions denominations lose their tax-free status? ligion" is first option. Accurate ABS data is vital BERTI. for all community services. A true "no religion" figure will reHERE'S how to fix Australia's low and declining NAPLAN scores: balance the undue influence churches have had in edumake it easier, change the cation, politics and a raft of assessment methods. and all participants pass. It works for contemporary s0cial policies.
tici~s with.their nuisance calls ~ get your name and tele-
to close or downgrade the emergency departments? GLEN. Modbury Hts.
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My Health worse
Balanced beliefs
BRIAN MORRIS, Netherby. - - -fdl¥Eeel8H !~< , 'i'i