Western Australia minister arrives in Port Hedland over reports of child neglect
In Australia, Western Australia's Minister for Child Protection Jessica Stojkovski arrived in Port Hedland in the Pilbara region following reports of her department's inadequate response to cases of neglect involving vulnerable Indigenous children. As ABC News Australia reports, the official flew into the city, located 1,600 kilometres north of Perth, on Monday.
The Australian reported that up to 15 children, some as young as five, may have been living unsupervised in a house in South Hedland. According to the newspaper, Western Australia's Department of Child Protection failed to respond despite numerous complaints from residents, police and other services about possible child neglect. The newspaper also reported an allegedly inadequate response to individual complaints of child sexual abuse in the East Kimberley.
Minister's statement
After landing at Port Hedland Airport, Stojkovski left without answering journalists' questions. In a written statement, she described child protection as a complex issue, stressed that such a situation was unacceptable and said that no child should be exposed to risks to their safety and wellbeing. The minister also said she was demanding urgent answers concerning the children in question and the measures being taken by the relevant services.
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Western Australian Premier Roger Cook called the disclosed information concerning. He noted that the Department of Child Protection works in difficult conditions, including in towns such as Port Hedland, and said the authorities would continue doing everything possible for the safety of the state's children.
Questions for the department
Kariyarra elder Pat Mason said that children being left to fend for themselves was a serious problem for South Hedland. According to her, adults must ensure children's safety regardless of whose children they are. She also said that the system was failing to cope with the situation.
According to ABC News Australia, more than 400 children in the department's care experienced emotional, physical or sexual abuse in 2020–2023. In 2024, 170 vulnerable children were left without an assigned specialist. A representative of the Department of Communities, which includes the child protection service, did not answer specific questions about the response to reports from South Hedland. The department said it was cooperating with community and Aboriginal organisations, while reports of possible sexual abuse are referred to police, who investigate suspected criminal offences.
