Western Australia Election 2021 Election Statement - FEBRUARY 2021
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Western Australia Election
2021
Election Statement
FEBRUARY 2021
2
Enquiries regarding this submission can be directed to:
Robyn Hoffmann
Service Co-ordinator, AASW WA Branch
03 9320 1000
aasw.wa@aasw.asn.au
Charles Chu
AASW Social Policy and Advocacy Officer
03 9069 5419
Charles.chu@aasw.asn.au
2
The Australian Association of
Social Workers
The Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) is
the professional body representing more than 13,000
social workers throughout Australia. We set the
benchmark for professional education and practice in
social work, and advocate on matters of human rights,
discrimination, and matters that influence people’s
quality of life.
The social work profession
Social work is a tertiary qualified, internationally recognised profession that pursues social justice
and human rights. Social workers aim to enhance the quality of life of every member of society and
empower them to develop their full potential. Principles of social justice, human rights, collective
responsibility and respect for diversity are central to the profession, and are underpinned by theories
of social work, social sciences, humanities and Indigenous knowledges.
Professional social workers consider the relationship between biological, psychological, social and
cultural factors and how they influence a person’s health, wellbeing and development. Social
workers work with individuals, families, groups and communities maintaining a dual focus on
improving human wellbeing and identifying and addressing any external issues (known as systemic
or structural issues) that detract from wellbeing, such as inequality, injustice and discrimination.
3
Our vision for a just society
The AASW’s vision is for a cohesive, inclusive and just society in which it is possible for everyone to
thrive, flourish and develop their full potential. Such a society enhances the wellbeing of every
member, respects diversity, enables people to address life’s challenges and promotes human rights.
It is the role of government to create and maintain the environmental, social and economic
foundations that enable all of us to enjoy those rights, along with all the other rights enshrined in
documents ratified by the Commonwealth government, paying attention to the most vulnerable
members of society. The election process is the primary opportunity for candidates and parties to
describe their proposals for doing this.
Every day, social workers observe how government decisions affect the quality of life of vulnerable
people including, but not limited to: Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples; children and
young people; older Australians; people living with a disability or illness; people seeking asylum;
people without secure housing; people on low incomes and those experiencing unemployment.
Therefore, the AASW judges the positions adopted by candidates and parties according to how they
will impact the wellbeing and the human rights of the people with whom we work.
The AASW calls on the incoming Western Australian government to address:
1. Social Work Registration
2. Child Protection and Aboriginal children in care
3. Family and Domestic Violence (FDV)
4. Mental Health and Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD)
5. Homelessness and Housing Affordability
6. Reconciliation and Closing the Gap
7. Sustainability and Climate Change
4Key social work professional issues
1. Social Work Registration
Australia is the only English-speaking country which does not require social workers to be registered
to ensure public protection. The AASW has been strongly advocating for the statutory regulation of
social workers and will continue to do so in all Australian states and territories.
As social workers, we are on the front lines of child and family support and see the daily reality of an
inequitably regulated sector and the devastating impacts this can have. An immediate measure that
all governments can take is to improve the training and skills of the child protection workforce.
Families come into the child protection system due to a complex set of circumstances and it is vital
that they receive supports from highly trained and skilled professionals. Unfortunately, as several
Coroner’s reports from all across Australia, including those of Mason Jet Lee and Chloe Valentine,
continue to highlight, this is not the case.
The registration of the social work profession will protect the public by ensuring that people working
as social workers have completed an accredited social work degree, that they have the required
competencies and that they maintain their level of skill. The AASW welcomes the legislation that
was introduced into the South Australian Parliament last year by the Hon. Tammy Franks, Member
of the South Australian Legislative Council for the Australian Greens. This Report is now before the
South Australian Parliament for the introduction of statutory registration of social workers that would
assure public safety, professional quality and accountability of the child protection workforce.
We refer the WA government to the report by the South Australian Parliamentary Committee on
Social Work Registration Bill 2018 (SA) which details a potential model for the incoming Western
Australian government to legislate for a registration scheme for the social work profession. We are
continuing to advocate for statutory registration to strengthen professional accountability and protect
all members of the Western Australian community.
AASW recommendation
1. That the incoming Western Australian government commit to legislate for a registration
scheme for the profession of Social Work in Western Australia.
2. Child Protection, Family Services and Aboriginal Children in Care
With our commitment to the best interests of children, social workers respond to the critical issue of
ensuring the safety and wellbeing of children and young people, in particular, the most vulnerable
children and young people in our community. The Coroners’ reports on the deaths of children who
were under the care of state governments in other jurisdictions and the Western Australian
5Ombudsman’s report into suicide by children and young people highlight the lack of resources in
child protection services, as well as in the services that support vulnerable children and their
families. According to the WA Ombudsman report, seven children in care have attempted suicide
when it was investigated in 2020 and 32 percent of children in care have alleged experienced four
types of child abuse or neglect.1 Social workers, many of whom are employed under Department of
Communities, work with children and families with complex and diverse needs.
As reported in the WA Today in September 2020, the current caseload of child protection workers is
considered to be overwhelming. 2 The work of a professional staff member in the child protection
workforce is complex, sustained and demanding, requiring multiple assessments, the negotiation of
multifaceted case plans and continuous monitoring of the development of children and their families.
We urge the incoming government to provide sustained and adequate funding to address the
ongoing staffing issues in the professional child protection workforce.
Our members are also concerned by the intersection between universal services such as schools,
family support services and statutory child protection. Currently the potential for universal and early
intervention services to support vulnerable families is not being realised, with the result that many
families do not receive support that could have helped them avoid the statutory system, nor the
supports that assist them to re-unite with their children and young people.
In many cases, schools have played a significant role in enabling vulnerable families to receive the
supports they need. One study showed that in 40 percent of cases school staff had been the first to
identify emotional or behavioural problems in young people and the vulnerabilities that flowed from
their family situation.3 School social work is a well established specialist area of social work practice
and an example of the unique contribution that social work can make to identify the vulnerabilities of
students and their families and to wrap services around them accordingly. Therefore, the AASW
endorses the Productivity Commission’s recommendation that every secondary school should have
at least one social worker, that every primary school student should have access to a social worker
and the ratio of social workers to students be at the minimum rate of 1:500.4
Aboriginal children in care
The AASW shares the concern of the Secretariat of Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC)
about the over representation of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children in the child
1
Ombudsman WA, 2020. Suicide by children and young people Report 2020 Volume 1, State of Western Australia
2
Cross, D. 2020. ‘WA's foster system 'ghost list' grows as child protection workers prepare for vigil’. WA Today. Accessed 10th
Feb 2021. Available at: https://www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/wa-s-foster-system-ghost-list-grows-as-child-
protection-workers-prepare-for-vigil-20200907-p55taw.html
3
Lawrence, D., Johnson, S., Hafekost, J., Boterhoven de Haan, K., Sawyer, M., Ainley, J. and Zubrick, S.R., 2015. The mental
health of children and adolescents: Report on the second Australian child and adolescent survey of mental health and
wellbeing, Commonwealth of Australia
4
Productivity Commission, 2020, The Social and Economic Benefits of Improving Mental Health, Commonwealth of Australia,
Canberra.
6protection system. According to 2016 census data, Aboriginal people comprise only 3.1 percent of
the Western Australian population, yet the most recent Department of Communities annual report
shows that, as of 30 June 2019, the 2,942 Aboriginal children in State care comprise 54.7 percent of
the total number of children in care. Even more concerning in the same report, is the fact that, of
2,240 children who had been in care for more than five years, 1,289 or 57.5 percent were Aboriginal
children. In the year under report, 52 percent of the 605 new Protection Orders were granted for
Aboriginal children.
The Family Matters Report 2020 reveals that Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children are
16.7 times more likely than non-Aboriginal children to be in the Out of Home Care system. This is
the highest rate in Australia. Our letter to the major WA parties included a detailed list of
recommendations to reduce the actual numbers of Aboriginal children in care and increase the
proportion of Aboriginal children in care who are placed within their extended family or community
network.
AASW Recommendations
2.1 That the incoming government provide sustained and adequate funding to the child protection
workforce to ensure that caseloads are reduced to a level which ensures adequate support to
vulnerable children and their families,
2.2 That the incoming government commit to provide comprehensive and effective early
intervention services to families at risk and mechanisms to ensure they are implemented at
the point that concerns are identified, rather than waiting until apprehension is under
consideration,
2.3 That the incoming government commit to provide a revised level of resources to Department
of Communities and to the non-government family and children’s services sector to ensure
time and resources can be devoted to collaboration in assessments, case planning and care
co-ordination to enable individualised, multi-facetted, culturally appropriate, wrap-around
services to families with complex needs,
2.4 That the incoming government fund a statewide wellbeing program in schools in which every
school with a student population of more than 500 employs, at a minimum, one qualified
social worker,
2.5 That the incoming government allocate increased resources to facilitate the ongoing
professional development of the child protection and family services workforce.
The following recommendations consist of specific actions to build culturally appropriate responses
for this sector:
2.6 That the Department of Communities invest in cultural supervision for Aboriginal and/or
Torres Strait Islander staff,
2.7 That the Department of Communities increase the number of identified (50D) positions
available for qualified Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander applicants,
72.8 That all out-of-home-care service providers be audited regularly and independently to ensure
compliance to cultural safe practices.
Relevant AASW position papers and statements:
• AASW letter to political parties in WA – Aboriginal children in care and families
https://www.aasw.asn.au/document/item/13109
• AASW submission to Inquiry into the Children and Community Services Amendment Bill
2019
https://www.aasw.asn.au/document/item/13117
• AASW position papers and statements: ‘Child wellbeing and protection position paper’
https://www.aasw.asn.au/document/item/2215
• AASW submissions
Refer to link below for more submissions around children, families and young people
https://www.aasw.asn.au/social-policy-advocacy/by-issue/children-families-and-young-
people
3. Family and Domestic Violence (FDV)
Family and Domestic violence is a gendered crime: It is most commonly perpetrated by men,
against women but it also deeply affects children. In 2019, data from the Australian Bureau of
Statistics showed that 75 percent of the family and domestic violence cases in Western Australia
were perpetuated on a female victim. Social workers believe that everyone has a right to live free
from fear and violence in their home and broader society and are committed to challenging family
violence at an individual, community, and systemic level, with the twin aims of ending it and of
minimising its profound, long lasting impacts.
The causes of family violence are complex and include factors that operate at the individual level as
well as across the whole of society. Factors such as community attitudes towards women and
gender inequality are experienced across all aspects of a woman’s life, even if she is not directly
subjected to violence against herself. Governments can address gender inequality by adequately
funding primary, secondary and tertiary programs across a range of settings so that the work of
preventing violence against women and supporting women who have experienced family violence is
integrated into all levels of society.
AASW members are cognisant that past and present Western Australian governments have or are
developing long term plans for addressing and preventing FDV, such as the Pathway to safety:
Western Australia’s strategy to reduce family and domestic violence 2020-2030. Although the
AASW welcomes the additional attention and resources provided, we are concerned that insufficient
resources have been allocated to implement and sustain these plans over the long term. It is critical
8that the Western Australian government ensure that family violence services are adequately funded,
and are safe, culturally appropriate and trauma informed.
We refer the incoming Western Australian government to letter sent by the WA branch of the AASW
to political parties (Oct 2020), in which we describe our recommendations for family and domestic
violence services and responses in detail.
AASW Recommendations
3.1 That the incoming government develop a co-ordinated and consistent whole-of-government
approach to the identification, assessment and response to FDV,
3.2 That the incoming government provide adequate long-term funding of FDV services in line
with the 2017 recommendations in the Productivity Commission’s Draft Report to the Inquiry
into Reforms to Human Services5,
3.3 That the incoming government co-design and co-implement FDV services with Aboriginal
and/or Torres Strait Islander people and other culturally diverse communities,
3.4 That the incoming government create services to provide wrap-around, trauma-informed
support beyond the initial crisis to facilitate long term stability and recovery including housing;
income maintenance and health/mental health wellbeing,
3.5 That the incoming government increase access to specialised intensive therapeutic services
for children and adolescents affected by FDV,
3.6 That the incoming government expand the provision of evidence-based perpetrator programs
across the State,
3.7 That the incoming government build workforce capacity to ensure delivery of high quality,
trauma informed and culturally safe services,
3.8 That the incoming government increase access to affordable legal representation for victims
of FDV,
3.9 That the incoming government provide clear and timely information for perpetrators of FDV to
ensure that they understand their duties and responsibilities arising from court orders,
3.10 That the incoming government to legislate a new law that resembles the Family Violence
Legislation Reform (COVID-19 Response) Bill 2020 in terms of its strengthened protection for
victim-survivors of FDV
3.11 That the incoming government allocate resources to increase the number of restraining order
applications by police,
3.12 That the incoming government introduce mandated ongoing FDV professional development
programs for magistrates, judicial officers and police officers,
5
Productivity Commission 2017, Draft Report to the Inquiry into Reforms to Human Services,Canberran; Australia
93.13 That the incoming government provide a range of community education activities to address
gaps in knowledge of FDV, that promotes equal and respectful relationships between men
and women as a key to reducing this violence.
Relevant AASW position and statement:
• AASW Letter to political parties – Family and Domestic Violence
https://www.aasw.asn.au/document/item/13110
• AASW’s position statement: Family Violence
https://www.aasw.asn.au/document/item/8625
4. Mental Health and Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD)
Social workers are an integral part of the mental health workforce and our members deliver services
across a range of settings in Western Australia.
AASW members endorse the dominant themes in multiple, significant reports which have repeatedly
highlighted a fragmented mental health, alcohol and other drug service system, which fails to treat
the total person as part of a family and community. These reports also identified inadequate
resourcing and ineffective implementation of plans in the each of the mental health and alcohol and
drug sector.
The situation is similar with respect to the alcohol and drug services system in Western Australia.
The AASW welcomes the introduction and implementation of Western Australian Mental Health,
Alcohol and other Drug Services Plan 2015-2025 (the Plan) with a range of programs that will
improve mental health and wellbeing and reduce the incidence of mental illness, suicide attempts
and harmful use of drugs and alcohol.
To ensure the effective implementation in the second half the Plan, we refer the incoming
government to our letter of December 2020, sent to each major political party. outlining our position.
It requires the government to take practical action to remove barriers and enable service
collaboration throughout the treatment process and at discharge. and includes:
• collaboration resourced as a component of all services; frameworks for appropriate sharing
of client information that address privacy issues,
• standard screening tools for both mental health and alcohol and drug services,
• training (including Brief Intervention) made available and paid for by Government,
• agencies funded to share training and offer supervision in their areas of expertise.
We refer the incoming Western Australian government to in the letter sent by the WA branch of the
AASW to political parties (September 2020), in which we describe our recommendations on mental
health and alcohol and other drugs in detail.
10AASW Recommendations
4.1 That the incoming government, with input from people with lived experience, undertake
fundamental reform to the design, governance, and funding arrangements of the mental
health and the alcohol and drug service systems to facilitate access to and co-ordination
between those systems,
4.2 That the incoming government build the capacity and integration of services across
government and not-for-profit sectors so that the whole person is treated
4.3 That the incoming government fund services for at least five years so they can develop
capacity and expertise and attract and retain experienced staff,
4.4 That the incoming government expand investment into the community based, “step down”
recovery and wellbeing services to balance the majority of WA Mental Health Commission
resources currently going into public sector acute or “step up” care,
4.5 That the incoming government expand investment into Aboriginal Controlled Community
Health Organisations led solutions in regard to mental health, alcohol and drug issues for the
Aboriginal community with attention to the Social and Emotional Wellbeing model of care.
Relevant AASW position and statement:
• AASW COVID-19 Inquiry submission
https://www.aasw.asn.au/document/item/12913
5. Homelessness and housing affordability
The AASW believes that safe and secure housing is a human right and being deprived of this right
severely undermines a person’s mental wellbeing. It is of critical importance for the next government
to address the current housing crisis to ensure that every Western Australian has a place to call
home.
The 2020 Anglicare Rental Affordability Snapshot found that out of 1,201 private rentals, none were
affordable for a person on the Disability Support Pension, JobSeeker, Youth Allowance, or
Parenting Payment Single without the coronavirus supplement. Meanwhile, there is a projected
short fall of 30,000 public housing properties as it deals with the economic fallout of the pandemic in
WA.
Therefore, the AASW submits that it is an urgent task for the incoming WA government to address
the shortage of affordable housing, invest in sustainable solutions to homelessness, and provide
adequate funding to a diverse range of housing schemes that meet the diverse needs of people
including all abilities, ages, and LGBTIQ people.
In addition, evidence shows that a significant number of people seeking assistance from
homelessness agencies are women and children escaping family violence, and children in Care.
11Better access to housing and supports can help address this issue but so can a greater focus on
removing the perpetrator and enabling women and children to remain in their homes and connected
to their schools and communities. The decline in government investment has meant homelessness
for some. For many others it has meant being trapped in violence from which there is little hope of
escape.
AASW Recommendations
5.1 That the incoming government commit to implementing and appropriately resourcing a
housing and homelessness strategy to eliminate homelessness,
5.2 That the new and renewed public and social housing strategy include environmentally
sustainable energy resources which reduce power bills for tenants,
5.3 That the incoming government commit to ensure that residents of new and renewed social
and public housing have easy access to established amenities and services,
5.4 That the incoming government ensure that housing schemes provide housing strategies for
diverse needs of people including all abilities, ages, and LGBTIQ people,
5.5 That the incoming government increase emergency housing options for women and children
escaping from family violence.
Relevant AASW position
• AASW position on housing affordability
https://www.aasw.asn.au/document/item/6857
6. Closing the Gap and Reconciliation
Social workers are committed to advocating on matters of social inclusion, social justice and human
rights. Through our collective actions, including our Reconciliation Action Plan, the AASW
demonstrates our commitment to our core values and objectives as they apply to addressing past
and continuing disadvantages imposed on Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples. This is
driven by a focus on learning from the past and building meaningful relationships in order to work
together for a more just Australia.
In Western Australia, Aboriginal people experience higher levels of psychological distress than non-
Aboriginal people (AIHW, 2013). Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders have higher exposure to a
range of risk factors that contribute to poor health outcomes than do non-Indigenous people. For
example, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people living in areas classed as “remote” or “very
remote” experience significantly higher rates of chronic diseases compared to other areas of
Western Australia. Many illnesses and diseases experienced by Aboriginal people are due to the
poor environmental health conditions in which they live.
The AASW endorses the recommendations of WACOSS’ and Noongar Family Safety and Wellbeing
Council’s ‘Partnering with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations to deliver trusted services
12with stronger outcomes for Aboriginal people’ report and encourages the incoming Western
Australian government to adopt their recommendations.
In regard to the establishment of an Indigenous Commissioner role, our Aboriginal and/or Torres
Strait Islander members strongly encourage the incoming government to ensure that this role is
supported by a team of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander staff and should be allocated the
primary responsibility for the cultural safety of government and non-government services.
AASW Recommendations
6.1 That the incoming government commit to a comprehensive whole of Government plan of
action to achieve the State’s Closing the Gap targets,
6.2 That the incoming government appoint an Indigenous Children’s Commissioner.
Relevant AASW position and statement:
• AASW Acknowledgement Statement to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People
https://www.aasw.asn.au/document/item/618
• Partnering with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations to deliver trusted services
with stronger outcomes for Aboriginal people
https://wacoss.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Partnering-with-Aboriginal-Community
Controlled-Organisations-to-deliver-trusted-services-with-stronger-outcomes-Report.pdf
7. Sustainability and Climate Change
Climate Change and Social Justice
The changes confronting Australia’s environment because of global warming are already profound
and extensive, making climate policy an urgent responsibility of the next government. Social workers
observe that although the consequences of climate change are affecting the entire population, the
economic and social burden is falling most heavily on already vulnerable people.
Our members have told us that most of the social housing in the greater Perth area is in the hottest
parts of Perth. This means that the people on the lowest incomes are the people who need to spend
the most on electricity to cool their houses. This confluence of needs creates an opportunity for an
elegant, dual solution to meet both problems: installation of affordable, non-fossil fuel sources of
energy for these houses will simultaneously reducing the consumption of fossil fuels and reduce
energy costs for low-income people.
Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide an important mechanism through which the
Australian government can address some of the biggest challenges currently facing Australia, and
the world, with a particular focus on human rights and social justice. The implementation of the
13SDGs seeks to provide meaningful and sustainable solutions to addressing the major challenges we
are facing at a local and global level. For example, the SDGs that focus on poverty, inequality and
climate change would have numerous benefits to domestic social, environmental and economic
issues.
Our submission to the Climate Health WA Inquiry includes a list of recommendations that the
incoming WA government can adopt to demonstrate its commitment to the SDGs. In addition, we
also endorse WACOSS’s recommendations that detail practical steps the WA government can take
to protect our environment.6
AASW Recommendations
7.1 That the incoming government introduce a supportive legislative environment for sustainable
enterprises and subsidise renewables to increase growth of employment opportunities
especially in rural areas or areas lacking other employment opportunities,
7.2 That the incoming government engage in consultation with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait
Islander people on land management and disaster mitigation,
7.3 That the incoming government assist all people to adapt to the changes in their local
environment, including but not limited to storm proofing homes, adopting regenerative
agriculture, retrofitting existing buildings to increase energy efficiency and requiring all new
builds to align with sustainable building standards and support to deal with stress, grief and
loss arising from environmental change,
7.4 That the incoming government provide incentive and support for local councils to enact
changes that increase sustainability, including but not limited to, broader recycling schemes,
decarbonisation of council activities, community development and environmental protection.
Relevant AASW position and statement:
• AASW submission to Climate Health WA inquiry
https://ww2.health.wa.gov.au/-/media/Files/Corporate/general-documents/Climate-Healt
WA-Inquiry/public-submissions/Organisations/AustralianAssociationOfSocialWorkers.pdf
• WACOSS Submission to the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation Climate
change in Western Australia: Issues paper
https://wacoss.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Climate-Change-in-WA-Submission.pdf
• AASW position on climate change
https://www.aasw.asn.au/document/item/12336
6
WACOSS, 2019. https://wacoss.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Climate-Change-in-WA-
Submission.pdf
14Conclusion
Social workers work with many of the vulnerable people whose quality of life will be affected by
measures that are within the control of the next government. The AASW calls on the incoming
government of Western Australia to commit to improving their health, standard of living and well-
being through these recommendations. The AASW looks forward to working with the incoming
Western Australian Government to implement these recommendations.
15© Australian Association of Social
Workers
Level 7, 14-20 Blackwood Street
NORTH MELBOURNE VIC 3051
PO Box 2008
ROYAL MELBOURNE HOSPITAL VIC
3050
P: 03 9320 1027 www.aasw.asn.au
E: socialpolicy@aasw.asn.au
www.aasw.asn.au
ACN 008 576 010
ABN 93 008 576 010
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