Announced 21st May 1998 by Heather Hill, state leader.
‘Working with Queensland Families to rebuild the foundation of our society - the Family’
Pauline Hanson’s One Nation’s Family, Youth and Community Care Policy is based on the following principles.
Safe, secure and happy societies require as a guiding principle strong functional family units. One Nation considers Governments should recognise this basic principle and adopt responses that are aimed at long term family stability rather than short term political gain.
One Nation also recognises factors such as housing, employment, education, child care and crime contribute to the well being or destruction of society. We will be committed to ensuring that responses strengthening family units recognise all elements that impact on society’s well being.
Furthermore, we will consult extensively with communities as we believe they know, and should be resourced to identify solution to their problems. Governments say innovative programmes must be developed to meet the community’s needs; One Nation believes if government funded their existing programmes to an appropriate level many of the communities’ needs would be addressed.
One Nation will pursue top funding for existing programmes as its priority.
One Nation will manage the department of Families, Youth and Community Care (DFYCC) through six distinct programmes, with services delivered through five regions.
Funding will be directed from Corrective Services to a new programme aimed at supporting Victims of Crime, including immediate family members of the victim.
This programme will be developed in recognition that victims frequently experience severe biological, psychological and sociological trauma and are at an ever greater risk of family breakdown.
Services will be provided utilising an intersectional approach that will include counselling, funeral, educational, housing and employment support.
Funding previously provided through Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs (A&TSI) will be combined with the six distinct programme areas confirming our belief that need for support is not confined to any particular race in our society.
Due to the gradual decline of wealth in our society, poverty and its resultant impacts are affecting all family types randomly and without discrimination.
Infrastructure initiatives involving economic development and natural resource management (ie water supply scheme in Northern Peninsula Area) will be handed over to the relevant departments (Natural Resource) for their ongoing management.
This programme provides financial assistance to older people, people who are found homeless, drunk in public places, in need of emergency financial assistance, families threatened by a breakdown and crisis, domestic violence, gambling, addiction and child care.
As a new service development, there will be five Family and Information Resource Centres (FIRC) funded at Au$300,000 per annum each.
These centres will co-ordinate information for the community and expand the computerisation of information throughout the sector in conjunction with local government, state and federal initiatives.
Agencies funded through this department will develop protocols to enable the efficient sharing of information throughout these sectors, thereby enhancing a co-ordinated service response and delivery.
The FIRCs will provide specialist support to agencies throughout their region and work closely with the department and agencies to facilitate ‘Best Practice’ in their region. They will support as a priority non funded support groups to enhance corporate sponsorship opportunities.
Cost Au$1.5 million
Domestic Violence (DV) continues to be a growing problem within the community and requires stricter regulations for removal of the perpetrator and support of the victims.
Amendments to the Domestic violence (Family Protection) Act will be reviewed and families will be protected.
Regional Domestic Violence support services will be funded for 24 hour operations in consideration that violence often occurs out of hours.
Cost Au$2.5 million
DV Centres will be encouraged to amalgamate with Women’s Shelters services offered throughout the same regions. Agencies that investigate and implement this option will receive and additional Au$50,000 pa recurrent funding to facilitate this ongoing process.
Cost Au$500,000
A police officer and health officer will be allocated to the SV Service/Women’s shelter to facilitate information exchange, training and support from police and health departments. These staff will be extra police/health officers to regions and not part of their core staffing allocations.
Cost Au$1 million
In recognition that Supported Accommodation Assistance Programmes’ (SAAP) family crisis accommodation service house considerable numbers of children who are at risk, each family service will be funded to appoint a child councillor to support children through what is frequently a disruptive emotional stage of their upbringing.
Cost Au$3 million
The department will work strenuously to develop interdepartmental linkages to ensure service provision is not duplicated, or denied to any member of the community through inappropriate departmental protocol. Furthermore, current State/Federal duplications or overlaps in service/client support will be identified and eliminated.
One Nation will also reinstate the Au$7 million cut from the budget for Child Care Services.
This programme is responsible for the development and provision of services for people who have a disability. These services include policy advice, developmental support, and the provision of a range of direct and funded services.
One Nation is committed to supporting families who through choice have decided to care for their children who suffer a disability.
An increased focus on respite care (in home and out of home), holiday relief and home help will be directed to these families and particularly those families who are ageing or have additional children in their care.
Under the Post School Options - small clusters of two bedroom unit blocks will be built in each region as a trail to support school leavers who wish to leave home and live independently with their friends.
Cost Au$3 million.
This group will be supported by a local accommodation service and encouraged to develop personnel, vocational and social skills.
Cost Au$250,000
This decision to relocate will be ratified by the parents and youth involved. This housing option will be contingent on the young persons age and circumstances.
Furthermore, four units will be built as a trial in each region in a nursing hostel environment for aged parents who are becoming infirmed and therefore require support with the raising of their child.
This will allow the child/young adult to undergo a transition and settling in period. They will be negotiated and funded as a joint project between family Services, Department of Housing and Home and Community Care.
Cost Au$1 million.
Centre Based Care will be built for residents moving due to the closure of the Challinor Centre with funds already allocated. These sites will be chosen through consultation with parents, carers, residents, local councils and the department. It will be essential the sites provide their residents with optimum ease of access to essential services.
Centre Based Care will not be designed with 5 foot walls around homes contained inside a six foot perimeter fence (the Chuwar experiment), appropriate staffing ratios should permit all residents to live happily and respectfully. People with disabilities and their families are entitled to a positive quality of life with support assistance to ensure they receive the care they cannot provide themselves.
One Nation considers the Alternative Living Schemes (ALS) homes are another example of small, neglected institutions - a result of successive governments’ neglect of human and physical resources.
We will aim to ensure that the 1:3 ratio for care prescribed by the department as a minimum guideline will be reached by the end of our first three year term of office.
Cost Au$5 million.
Local councils and the Department of Families Youth and Community Care will revise minimum standards for group homes and hostels. Current hostel owners will adhere to strict safety requirements - if necessary, they will renovate their current building stock.
The government will investigate a greater choice of housing types and options for people with a disability.
Cost Au$100,000
Currently, families with children suffering disabilities feel their rights to determine choice of treatments and housing for their children have been seriously eroded because successive governments have continued to introduce legislation that supports the disabled child and seemingly overlooks the needs and desires of the related families.
One nation will research this claim and investigate options that return the decision-making processes involving family members, back to the families.
Cost Au$200,000
Family and Individual Support Services (FISP) will be recognised for the positive work they conduct in their communities resulting in families and individuals achieving and sustaining self-reliance.
Schools within the region will be required to work closely with these agencies in the management of children, and with families who clearly are not coping within the school, or greater community.
This could include locating appropriate referral services, provision of limited financial assistance
(emergency relief), information or even assistance in something as minor as a head lice epidemic.
FISP agencies will receive a recurrent funding increase of 20% of their total costs if they successfully work this objective into their operational plans.
Cost Au$2 million
One Nation recognises that some parents are not responsible when it comes to providing care and attention for their children.
Although it is always desirable for children to return to their birth mother. Parents who continue to abuse their parental responsibilities towards their children will have their parental rights annulled.
The child will be permanently placed in foster care with an option for adoption to a family that can provide the care, attention and love children need and deserve.
One Nation has been contacted by many family members who have found that departmental guidelines have removed their ability to exercise parental control of their children.
One Nation stands firmly behind the principle that families who exercise their parental rights and responsibilities with all due care and attention, should be granted the right to make and control the decisions affecting their children.
We respect Australian Children’s Rights, however we are very conscious that the rights of any individual must be married with relevant responsibilities. If children/parents do not exercise their responsibilities then the rights of either party are diminished.
One Nation recognises that in conjunction with its discretionary powers for police to enact a Youth Curfew, safe places must be available for our youth.
Many of the SAAP youth services in the region are staffed to provide emergency accommodation for youth from 9am to 5pm only.
These agencies, in key regional locations will receive additional funding to deliver services on a 24 hour basis. In consultation with these services, appropriate staffing levels and compositions will be determined and funded to provide a safe environment for youth, their families and staff workers.
These SAAP agencies will have their guidelines extended to provide short/medium and long term accommodation to youth to ensure continuity in service delivery and service providers.
Cost Au$2.5 million
Funding will be provided for a Family Intervention worker to be allocated to each Youth Service. This worker will provide professional counselling and support services in an effort, where appropriate and safe, to reconcile youth with their families.
Cost Au$3.1 million
The Youth and Community Combined Action (YACCA) programmes will continue to be funded but have a broader scope to ensure youth who have offended can be drawn into community programmes.
It is essential departmental officers from housing, police, corrective and educational services are engaged on Management Committees to facilitate an intersectorial approach in the management of programmes and outcomes.
One Nation will again stress the importance of Civil Rights being matched to civic responsibilities.
Due to the nature and increasing level of crime in our society, there is a greater and different impact on families, reducing their ability to cope after particularly traumatic events.
One Nation believes the needs and rights of victims (primary and secondary) should take precedent over the needs and rights of the perpetrator/criminal; and accordingly will develop a new division to co-ordinate an interdepartmental approach to support victims and ensure that they have access to all housing, counselling, education, training opportunities, corrective services and financial support available through government departments.
The Victims of Crime Association Queensland will receive ongoing and increased financial support with prisoners having the proceeds of their criminal activities seized to assist in recouping the costs of funding this much needed organisation.
Cost Au$4.5 million
This department will be required to continue its role in ensuring operational aspects of the department are efficient, effective and providing high quality customer service to all families requiring their services.
It has come to the attention of One Nation that significant numbers of Family Services staff work on a casual or contract basis.
In a bid to improve job security and tenure, the level of temporary staff will be identified and extra funding distributed to the five regions to permit permanent staff positions to be created. Each region will be required to prioritise and justify their staff composition options prior to the allocation of funds.
Cost Au$10 million.
The funds required for One nation’s initiatives amount to Au$47.15 million. An additional Au$4.05 million will be earmarked to address the needs that will be identified through further consultation with appropriate community workers.
Total Cost Au$51.2 million
The cost of this policy will be sourced by re-directing funds inappropriately allocated in the state budget.
| Reversing the TAB tax | Au$15.4 million |
| Defer the Cultural Centre | Au$10.0 million |
| Eliminate subsidy - IndyCar Race | Au$08.0 million |
| Corrective services | Au$12.6 million |
| Eliminate Ethnic and Multicultural Affairs from Premier's Department | Au$02.7 million |
| Maintain Office of Women's Affiars at 1997 level | Au$02.5 million |
| Total funds available for increased services | Au$51.2 million |
This policy clearly articulates the commitment of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation to rebuild and maintain the foundation of our society - “THE FAMILY”