In New South Wales, as of June 2021, 42% of children in out-of-home care were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
This stark over-representation has been the subject of multiple child welfare reviews, from Bringing them Home to Family is Culture.
The NSW parliament is now considering a bill, sponsored by Greens MP David Shoebridge, proposing crucial child protection reforms. The legislative assembly passed the bill in late February. Whether it passes the lower house in the coming weeks will be a test of the parliament’s commitment to reducing the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care.
The bill’s passage (or otherwise) will also lay bare the extent of the government’s resolve to address ongoing harms caused by generations of forced, systematic removals of Aboriginal children.