PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS
Ms BELYEA (Dunkley) (16:56): For most children, being protected is something they don't have to think about. They believe that home is safe. They believe that if something scares them an adult will be there to hold their hand.
They expect the people around them to notice when something is wrong. But, unfortunately, some children and young people are not protected. Childhood can look very different.
A child living with violence can become hypervigilant, attuned to what is happening around them and their perpetrator. A change in someone's voice, energy or footsteps influences their responses. They learn when it is better to stay quiet and when to hide.
At the Dunkley domestic and family violence round table I heard from workers about children protecting themselves, their siblings or their parents from being abused. These are things no child should have to learn. I have worked with children who have needed protection, and their experiences have stayed with me.
As an adult it can be difficult to understand that children don't always have the words to explain what is happening to them. Sometimes they don't know that what they are experiencing isn't normal. Sometimes they are frightened about what will happen if they speak up.
A child might never say, 'I'm not safe.' Instead, they might say they don't want to go home. They might stop concentrating at school. They might change their behaviour, becoming angry or simply becoming very quiet in an attempt to become invisible.
That is why the adults around children matter so much. A teacher can notice a change, a sporting coach can ask a child if everything is okay and a neighbour can hear or see something that doesn't seem quite right. One trusted adult can be the person who gives them the confidence to speak out.
And, when they do, we need to make sure there is somewhere for children to be listened to. I welcome the continued investment by the Australian government in preventing family, domestic and sexual violence and improving outcomes for children. The National Plan to End Family Violence against Women and Children provides an important framework for this work.
Making the Leaving Violence Program permanent is also significant, as is the broader investment through National Cabinet to accelerate action on gender based violence. There is also important work through Our Ways—Strong Ways—Our Voices: National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Plan to End Domestic and Sexual Violence and the Safe and Supported framework for protecting Australia's children.
But ultimately the success of these policies should not just be measured by the programs we establish or the money we invest. It should be measured by whether a child is safer, whether they know that someone will listen when they ask for help, whether they can go to school and think about being a child rather than worrying about what is happening at home and whether we intervene early enough to change the course of a young person's life so they remain engaged at school, which is vital to their learning and development.
National Child Protection Week is a reminder that child protection isn't only the responsibility of specialist services. All of us have a role to play. We need to pay attention to the children around us, we need to take concerns very seriously and, most importantly, we must make sure children know that they will be believed when they speak out.
Children should not have to become resilient because the adults around them fail to protect them. They should simply be allowed to be children. Every child deserves to grow up feeling safe, supported and valued.
That is what child protection should mean, and that is a standard we should commit to with fierce determination.