26 February 2002 Media Statement

Record Investment In Child, Youth And Family Drives Fresh Approach

Child, Youth and Family is turning the corner after a decade of under-investment, Social Services and Employment Minister Steve Maharey said this evening.

Responding to claims about the state of its services from ACT MP Muriel Newman, Steve Maharey said the government had made rebuilding Child, Youth and Family a key goal.

“Child, Youth and Family staff do an enormous amount of hard work providing safety for children and strengthening families. However as the briefing papers they presented to the incoming government in 1999 demonstrated the department was severely under-resourced and over-stretched by the end of the 1990s.

“Following Mick Brown’s excellent report, we allocated $216m over four years in the last budget to rebuild this department from the ground up. This came on top of $153m over four years provided in the 2000/01 Budget and an additional $5.5m for care for at-risk children. Child, Youth and Family now employ more social workers than ever before, has its largest budget ever and has a government actively committed to making it sure it gets the support it needs to do its job.

“For nine years National, supported by Muriel Newman and the ACT party, ran Child, Youth and Family into the ground. Neither have any credibility on this issue. They should stop whining and support the rebuilding of Child, Youth and Family and its ‘partnership with the community’ approach,” Steve Maharey said.

Ends

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