QCOSS was invited to make a submission in relation to the Child Protection and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2020 (‘the Bill’).
In our submission we outline our position against the Bill. We used the Human Rights Act 1999, together with limited feedback from our sector obtained during a workshop on 31 July 2020 to formulate our response.
QCOSS is of the belief the Bill will result in unjustifiable limitations of the human rights of Queenslanders, in particular the rights of children and families. We are calling for the Queensland Government to implement safeguards and ensure the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principles (ATSICPP) are properly implemented, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adoption practices be adhered to, and that overall – the views and wishes of children are given greater weight during decision making processes. We also examined the compatibility of this bill with the Queensland Human Rights Act 2019.
We are calling for additional consultation and engagement with the social services sector and the community to develop better solutions to keep children safe.