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Cape York Welfare Reform trial

Welfare Reform in Far North Queensland

On Tuesday 11 March 2008 the Queensland Parliament passed legislation to allow a world-first trial to link parental responsibility with government assistance.

Four Queensland communities (Aurukun, Coen, Hope Vale and Mossman Gorge) have agreed to be part of the four year welfare reform trial.

Under the trial, which begins on 1 July 2008, welfare recipients who abuse or neglect their children, fail to send them to school, are in breach of their housing tenancy agreement or are found guilty of a crime by a magistrate, could be subject to a ruling by the Family Responsibilities Commission (FRC).

The Departments of Education, Housing, Justice and Child Safety are required, under the new legislation, to provide information on relevant individuals to the FRC for consideration.

Former Senior Magistrate David Glasgow has been appointed as the Commissioner for the new Family Responsibilities Commission.

The Commissioner and Local Commissioners (who will be nominated by their community leaders) may intervene with any person who comes to their attention and will have a range of options to respond to any identified concerns. These options will include a warning or requiring a person to attend a compulsory income management course. As a last resort people may have some or all of their welfare payments managed for them for up to 12 months.

What role will the Department of Child Safety play?

The Department of Child Safety will be required to notify the Family Responsibilities Commission (FRC) of all child concern reports (including child placement concern reports), unsubstantiated and substantiated investigations and assessments (including matters of concern).

The FCR will then determine whether individuals are in breach of their welfare requirements.

Options available to the Commission will include:

• no further action
• the provision of a warning
• directing individuals to attend support services on either a voluntary or compulsory basis, or
• re-directing all or part of individual’s welfare payments to conditional income management or to another adult who is caring for the individual child.

Child Safety staff outside of the trial communities will also be required under legislation to notify/make referrals to the FRC. Residency provisions under the Family Responsibilities Commission Act 2008 mean that if individuals from trial communities move to a non-trial community they will continue to be subject to ongoing trial responsibilities, including child abuse and neglect provisions.

The FRC will be able to complement the department in its ongoing interventions with families. This support may take the form of the FRC assisting the department in prioritising families' access to and attendance at identified support services.

For more information about welfare reform in Cape York communities, visit:

• Indigenous Government Coordination Office, Department of Premier and Cabinet
• The Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnership (OATSIP), Department of Communities
• Cape York Institute for Policy and Leadership.

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Last updated

30 July 2008