Minister Robyn Cahill reveals three NT child protection workers sacked over Kumanjayi Little Baby failures
NT child protection workers have been sacked over their handling of Kumanjayi Little Baby’s case before the five-year-old’s death, as the minister reveals she was initially told there was ‘nothing to see here’.
Three Northern Territory child protection workers have been sacked over their handling of the case of a five-year-old girl allegedly murdered in Alice Springs.
NT Minister for Children and Families Robyn Cahill is reportedly furious about how her department handled the case of the little girl, now referred to as Kumanjayi Little Baby for cultural reasons.
“On hearing of Kumanjayi Little Baby’s disappearance I reached out to the department asking if we have any connection with this family, any concerns,” Minister Cahill told news.com.au.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“They told me there was nothing to see here.
“I called for a briefing, which took too long to reach me and that’s when I learned there was a lot to see there. I was shocked and questioned how could this possibly happen.”
Minister Cahill told the publication an internal investigation had since resulted in three workers being sacked.
“I started an investigation process and that has resulted in three people being stood down today,” she said.
“There is an absolute reluctance to move children from Aboriginal families for fear of being accused of creating another stolen generation.
“You cannot use that as an excuse if they are not safe.”
Kumanjayi Little Baby disappeared from Old Timers Camp late on April 25.
Her disappearance sparked a major land and air search before her body was found five days later.
Jefferson Lewis, 47, has been charged with murdering the little girl and other offences which cannot be published for legal reasons. He remains in custody in Darwin.
The development comes amid escalating scrutiny of the NT’s child protection system and the department’s prior contact with the little girl and her family.
The Nightly has sought a response from Minister Cahill and the Department of Children and Families (DCF).
This follows revelations that there had allegedly been repeated warnings to child protection authorities before Kumanjayi Little Baby vanished from Old Timers Camp on Anzac Day.
According to The Australian, the little girl was the subject of six child protection reports in the six weeks before her death, including one made by police just days before she disappeared.
Police reportedly made the most recent notification to child protection authorities on April 22 after responding to an alleged assault on the girl’s mother at Old Timers Camp.
The newspaper also reported that more than a dozen child protection notifications had allegedly been made about the child during her lifetime, but no investigation was launched in response to the six most recent reports.
The DCF reportedly received multiple notifications raising concerns about domestic violence, neglect, supervision and the environment the child was living in.
Sources told The Australian that concerns had been raised by police, domestic violence workers and relatives about the child’s exposure to domestic violence, neglect and unsafe living conditions.
NT Police declined to comment.
Those revelations came after NT Children’s Commissioner Shahleena Musk declined to launch an own-initiative investigation into Kumanjayi Little Baby’s life and death, saying she would leave that to the coroner.
