As has now become customary, to mark this occasion, the Government has chosen to launch a campaign aimed at recruiting more foster and family carers. While in past years I have applauded the efforts of any government to bolster our carer network, this year the Opposition is holding the applause.

While this carer recruitment campaign is important, it rings hollow against recent revelations exposing deep dysfunction in our State’s child protection system.

At present, there are well over 5,200 children in the care of the State. That’s 5,200 children who are considered so at-risk that the State has intervened into their care arrangements. It is a sad, but necessary role that the State plays. It is why we have, and will always have, a child protection agency - regardless of whether it is Labor or Liberal that forms government.

Meanwhile, there are more than 3,200 carer households approved to provide care for these children. But, in a stunning revelation on 26 June 2025, in the final hour before Parliament rose for its winter recess, the Minister for Child Protection was obliged to correct the public record. Parliament was now being told that there were 1,240 approved carer households not currently caring for any child.

Let that sink in: more than 5,200 children are in the care of the State, around 3,200 approved carer households, yet over 1,200 of those households are going unused.

To add to the alarm, Parliament was also told that one approved carer household has been without a child for more than ten years.

These revelations raise serious questions that warrant a cogent response. How long have all the other approved carer households been waiting? Can they all still meaningfully be described as ‘approved’, even after ten years without a child? And how many other carers are experiencing burnout from being overburdened with too many placements?

Fans of the sitcom Seinfeld will recall the classic episode when Jerry is left exasperated by the car hire outlet that was seemingly able to take his reservation for a car but incapable of holding the reservation. He quite rightly observed that holding the reservation is the most important part.

In a similar way, while it is good that the Government has demonstrated its capacity to recruit carers, surely the most important part is making use of those carers.

When it comes to our State’s most vulnerable children, this is no laughing matter.

Whistleblowers have told the Opposition that some children are sleeping on floors in district offices while approved households remain idle.

It does not appear that there is a carer supply problem. The carers are approved. The issue is a system that is failing to match children with those approved to help.

Excuses that carers may be 'between placements' or designated for particular 'cultural backgrounds' might apply in some cases — but not for 1,240 households.

At best, this reflects poor administration. At worst, it signals a dangerous disconnect between the needs of children and the actions of those responsible for their care.

The Cook Labor Government’s current campaign to recruit more carers sounds good on paper. But it is political theatre if existing carers and children are neglected. Recruitment should not mask administrative failure.

As a community we rightly expect high standards of carers. That’s why we are so appalled when those standards are not met or when child sexual abuse is exposed. But those who meet our standards deserve better from government. Many report not hearing from the Department in months or years. Some speak of frustration, others of heartbreak.

Every number in this story is a carer or a child. A carer with a stable home. A child who needs safety, support and routine. At the moment their trust is eroded by a system that is failing to deliver.

The Cook Labor Government has serious child protection questions to answer when Parliament resumes this month. These aren’t bureaucratic details. They’re the difference between a child finding safety or falling through the cracks.

The carer network is one of the most valuable assets in our child protection system. But it only works if supported, engaged, and properly managed.

This is not a criticism of our carers. Quite the opposite. They deserve our deepest thanks and full support. Carers and vulnerable children deserve a system that works, not one that fails them.

This is a call for accountability. Foster and Family Carers Week must be more than a gesture. It must prompt action and answers.

The Opposition will not allow this issue to fade when Parliament resumes. We will keep asking the questions that need to be asked.

To every carer, worker or child who has shared their story, thank you. We hear you. We will demand better for you and for the children you are ready to welcome.

Hon Nick Goiran MLC, Shadow Minister for Child Protection