2017-11-14
MS PENNICUIK (Southern Metropolitan) — I rise to speak briefly on the very important motion brought to the house today by my colleague Ms Springle, and I thank her for bringing this motion to the attention of the house, the Parliament and the community. I am rising briefly just to move an amendment to paragraph 3 of the motion as moved by Ms Springle. Paragraph 3 calls on the government to provide a report to Parliament by 12 December 2017 detailing the extent of the problem, which we are discussing, and how it plans to redress these issues, including an apology to care leavers for the harms caused to them.
The amendment that I would like to move would mean that paragraph 3 of the motion would then read:
calls on the government to provide a report to Parliament by 12 December 2017 detailing the extent of the problem, how it plans to redress these issues, including any legislation needed and an apology to care leavers for the harms caused to them.
We move this motion with recognition of course that legislation will be needed as part of the redress for these past offences which were recorded against children under care and which have stayed with them all their lives. The government will have to look at that as well as the other issues. The motion, as drawn up by Ms Springle, asks for the government to provide a report detailing the extent of the problem and all the plans it has to redress the issue.
That is because the extent of the problem is not necessarily totally clear to everybody in the chamber or to everybody in the Parliament or in the community for that matter. We think it is important that that does happen.
I move:
1. In paragraph (3), after the word 'including' insert 'any legislation needed and'.
I am happy to have the amendment circulated too.