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“The paramount aim of this inquiry, as I see it, is to improve the lives of, and outcomes for, these children,” he said.
“If there is one matter about which we can all agree, it is the universal moral duty to care for, nurture and protect children and young people.”
The commission of inquiry gets underway at Brisbane Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
Credit: AAP
The clatter of reporters typing and faint hum of an airconditioner were the only other sounds in the wood-panelled room as he continued.
“I would like to mention one thing that has come up in discussions with young people who have been in the system, and also with foster carers and support workers,” Anastassiou said.
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“The theme concerns the question of whether the carer’s duty to children and young people is matched by the authority of the carer necessary to effectively discharge that duty.
“Put slightly differently, the question is whether there is a disconnection between a carer’s duty of care on the one hand, and his or her authority necessary to fulfil and discharge their duty.”
The next public hearing will take place in late August or early September in Cairns.
The inquiry has powers to compel witnesses to testify, with procedures in place permitting anonymity under some circumstances.
A call for people and organisations across the state to prepare submissions for the inquiry was made by senior counsel assisting Robyn Sweet KC.
More than 3000 children were living in out-of-home care in Queensland last year, with Indigenous children significantly over-represented in those numbers.
Recommendations from the inquiry are due by November, 2026.
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