Qld: Child safety officers failed 10yo rape victim: Bligh

AAP General News (Australia)
12-11-2007
Qld: Child safety officers failed 10yo rape victim: Bligh

By Roberta Mancuso

BRISBANE, Dec 11 AAP - Queensland Premier Anna Bligh admits her government failed a
10-year-old girl pack-raped twice in a far northern indigenous community - the second
time after being returned there by child safety officers.

The child was gang-raped at the age of seven in the Cape York community of Aurukun
in 2002, and was later put into foster care with a non-indigenous family in Cairns.

However, child safety officers in April 2006 returned her to Aurukun, where she was
raped again at the age of 10.

Ms Bligh today said there was "absolutely no question" that the Child Safety Department
had failed the girl.

"I think it is very important to understand, and I don't resile from the fact for one
moment, the system clearly failed this little girl," Ms Bligh told reporters.

"But it is also important to understand that nobody swept that failure under the carpet.

"What we did was take immediate action, discipline the officers involved, moved the
child, and changed and improved our response in Aboriginal communities."

Ms Bligh could not give a reason for the officers' decision to return the girl to Aurukun,
but said it should never have happened.

Cairns-based District Court judge Sarah Bradley did not record convictions against
six teenage attackers and gave three others aged 17, 18 and 26 suspended sentences over
the 2006 rape.

The state government is appealing the sentences and has ordered a review of around
75 sexual assault cases in Cape York over the past two years.

The government has dismissed calls to stand aside Judge Bradley during the appeal.

Ms Bligh said an investigation was carried out into the second multiple rape, resulting
in one senior child safety officer being sacked and two others suspended for 12 months
on full pay.

The two suspended officers are appealing the decision.

The review, which made 140 recommendations, also recommended that child safety officers
be based in indigenous communities, rather than visiting on a "fly in, fly out basis".

Media reports suggested the officers removed the child from her white foster parents
and returned her to Aurukun to avoid "another stolen generation".

But Ms Bligh said Queensland laws required that children were placed where they would
be best protected.

The girl is now in the care of the Child Safety Department.

"She is living away from this community and she is receiving both medical and therapeutic
support," Ms Bligh said.

"I understand that she's making good progress but she does have a number of complex
and difficult needs."

Ms Bligh expected the review of sexual assault sentences would be completed quickly,
but said it was not about returning the cases to trial.

She also denied a Northern Territory-style intervention was needed in Queensland's
indigenous communities.

"The NT's problem centred around whether authorities who should've been acting were
failing to act," Ms Bligh said.

"What's absolutely clear here is nobody turned a blind eye, the people who should've
acted did in relation to this sexual assault.

"In relation to the child safety officers, they clearly failed in their judgment."

Child Safety Minister Margaret Keech said the two suspended officers had been assigned
to desk duties.

"What I can assure you is that we have learned significantly from the mistakes," she said.

AAP rm/pjo/it/bwl

KEYWORD: GANG BLIGH

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