WA launches independent review of child protection after Pilbara squalor case
An independent review will examine child protection services after more than a dozen children were found unsupervised in squalor.
An independent review will examine child protection services in the Pilbara. More than a dozen children were reportedly found living left alone in filthy conditions in a South Hedland home.
The National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children, Sue-Anne Hunter, said the circumstances demand urgent action. Without urgent action, the same things would happen again.
The case sparked calls from Aboriginal Elders and advocates for a Royal Commission into the WA child protection agency. The WA government has been criticized for failing to act in a previous Port Hedland case in 2022.
Hunter and Indigenous leaders are pushing for WA to establish an independent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children's Commissioner. This would bring the state in line with other jurisdictions.
Child Protection Minister Jessica Stojkovski has visited the region and committed to listen to the community.
- more than a dozen
- Children found unsupervised
- South Hedland, 1600 km north of Perth
- Location
- Port Hedland 2022
- Prior case
- about 11,000
- South Hedland population
Why it mattersChild protection failures in remote communities put vulnerable children at serious risk. These failures expose gaps in how Indigenous families are supported by the system.
AustraliaThe review may lead to new WA laws and stronger oversight of child protection services, affecting how welfare agencies operate across the state and potentially influencing national child safety standards.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 14 h ago
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