Tolley Anne: General Debate 
Tolley Anne: General Debate 
[Volume:631;Page:3566] 
ANNE TOLLEY (National—East Coast) 
: 
 I rise to speak today about a Government that is hanging on by its fingernails. 
David Bennett 
: I hope it doesn’t bite them! 
ANNE TOLLEY 
: Yes I hope it does not bite them. We know this because we can see what is happening. Even in this House yesterday Mr Speaker your authority was challenged by one of your own members. That tells us that this Government is in disarray. I am on a select committee with poor old Taito Phillip Field. He is a good guy. He is acting more like a member of the Opposition in that select committee because he knows— 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: He’s close to being one. 
ANNE TOLLEY 
:—that he is close to being one. He is on the managed exit list; there is nothing surer. Of course the Prime Minister has to look after people like our friend Taito Phillip Field and Marian Hobbs who is in the House and who spoke in the general debate earlier on because there is only a one-vote majority. In order for this Government to hang on until grim death it has to look after those who are looking for an exit. 
Last week the Hon Ruth Dyson who is the Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment (CYF) said in a media release: “Turning young offenders around before they become adult criminals is one of the most important things the youth justice system can do.” I agree with her. But I ask that Minister what she has been doing for youth justice for the last 7 years. It is quite clear from the capability review that was released at the same time as the Minister made that statement that she and her department have been doing nothing. They have been sitting on their hands while the youth justice system has been floundering under heavy bureaucracy under poor management from a lack of funds and most important from a lack of focus within the Child Youth and Family Services structure. 
Back in March the State Services Commission pointed out to the department that it had not given a high enough priority to completing the youth justice capability review despite continued attention from the judiciary. The judiciary itself has been saying to this Government that it needs to know exactly what is happening within youth justice. It said it needed that capability review completed so that it could see some improvement in the way we look after our young people who are getting into trouble. It has been 3 years since the baseline review directed the department to complete a capability review and it took 2 years to complete that—the department came back and asked for a year’s extension. So after a review said that this Government did not know what it was doing in youth justice a report was put out saying that this Government still did not know what it was doing in youth justice. There is not enough funding not enough emphasis and not enough staff and it shows in some of the figures coming through on our youths who are getting into trouble. 
Nothing has changed under this Minister and this Government. The recommendation in the 2003 baseline review that we should have dedicated staff positions for youth justice has not resulted in anything happening. The capability review states this should happen and all of a sudden we are supposed to believe the Minister when she says it will fall into place in the next few months. With the merger of Child Youth and Family Services with the Ministry of Social Development youth justice will be buried even more. The chief executive of the ministry himself labelled this new big superministry of social development as the Borg mothership. Well I fear for our youth offenders under that sort of structure. 
National actually backs the Principal Youth Court Judge Andrew Becroft who has been calling since 2004 for youth justice to be removed from the management of the Child Youth and Family Services because it could not balance youth offending with its care and protection role. Right throughout the capability review and right throughout the baseline review that point was made strongly and this Government has sat on its hands and watched.