LABOR WALKS AWAY FROM PROMISE TO REFORM BLUE CARD SYSTEM
The Palaszczuk Government has broken a promise to Queenslanders and left almost 5,500 Queensland children at risk due to a gaping loophole in the state’s Blue Card system.
Ms Frecklington said after a disturbing case in Townsville last year when a teachers’ aide working without a blue card exposed himself to children, then Education Minister Kate Jones promised she would introduce a ‘No Card, No Start’ policy to protect Queensland children from potential harm.*
“A week after the incident Kate Jones told Queenslanders she would fix this problem and now, just like so many of Labor’s promises, nothing has been done,” Ms Frecklington said.
“Politicians need to act for the people and you’d think there’d be nothing more important to Annastacia Palaszczuk than the safety of our kids.
“As a mum, this is the type of thing that fills me with dread. The last thing we want to see is another incident happen with a young child exposed to someone who slipped through the cracks.
“We need Labor to get to work and fix this loophole ASAP.
“I am happy to work with the Premier to sort this out.”
Ms Frecklington said the loophole meant staff in rural and remote areas can be in our classrooms, working with our children before they’ve been through critical background checks.
“Kate Jones herself admitted the arrangements were no longer needed and yet still nothing has happened,” she said.
“And as for suggestions from the Katter’s Australia Party that skill shortages in regional areas are an excuse to relax blue card standards – well that’s just not on.
“The answer to protecting children in remote and indigenous communities should never be to lower blue card standards.
“That’s a reckless policy that will only further disadvantage vulnerable families and children in those communities.
“Queensland’s indigenous kids deserve the highest standards of care and protection.
“The LNP stands ready to work with Labor to immediately modernise the blue card application process to close this loop hole.”
