NEWS Take the kids off abusive parents

THE head of the Territory Stolen Generations Aboriginal Corporation has stopped short of calling for sackings, but says the Territory Government must change its thinking about early intervention and take atrisk children from violent and dysfunctional families.

Territory Stolen Generations Aboriginal Corporation chairman Eileen Cummings has reaffirmed her position and told ill-informed outsiders not to interfere with claims of a second Stolen Generation.

“Just save the kids,” she said. Mrs Cummings said the Children’s Commissioner’s report into the rape of a twoyear-old girl showed the negligent thinking behind not removing children from dangerous family situations.

The 102-page report from Children’s Commissioner Colleen Gwynne details multiple instances of sexual abuse of the two-year-old victim’s siblings.

Ms Gwynne’s report found the little girl and her four siblings were the subject of reports related to sexual abuse, physical harm, neglect, emotional harm, family violence and parental substance abuse.

Mrs Cummins said using the claim of a second Stolen Generation as a reason to not take a child away from such dangerous family circumstances was “foolish”.

“That family has been a constant worry with people in Tennant Creek and it amazes me that this was just allowed to go on for goodness knows how long. It is an absolute disgrace. They need every staff member they can hang on to, but there needs to be a good hard look at what they have been doing and how it can be done better.

“I don’t know why they never took that child away from her family.”

Mrs Cummings said she had talked to people from Tennant Creek, some of the Stolen Generation people, who believe Children and Families services should have done something years ago.

“Given the family’s well known history they could not understand why they never took that child,” she said. “There needed to be action in this case and every other case where there is violence and child abuse. This has absolutely nothing to do with a second Stolen Generation and anyone who says it does is just plain ignorant.”

MINISTER FOR FAMILIES DALE WAKEFIELD EXCLUSIVE COLUMN P12