Liberal Leader Zed Seselja is stepping up for a swing at the Joy Burch pinata:
In a slap in the face to the families left traumatised by the mismanagement and illegal actions of Joy Burch’s directorate, Katy Gallagher today effectively dismissed those concerns and proven illegality and backed her Minister by saying “in terms of her own responsibilities, she has fulfilled them, and she has fulfilled them to a very high standard.” (ABC Radio, 19 October 2011)
“This is an extraordinary lack of leadership and appalling lack of judgement” ACT Opposition Leader Zed Seselja said today.
“This was a fundamental failure of one of our most basic responsibilities to keep our kids safe.
“The facts are that Joy Burch’s department broke the law, they broke it knowingly and they broke it 24 times. How can this possibly be fulfilling her duty to a very high standard?
“These were not mere technical breaches, they resulted in children being placed in accommodation with no heaters, working stoves and broken glass on the floor. The result was children left ‘highly traumatised and suffering the effects of sometimes long term abuse and neglect’.
“It seems Katy Gallagher is far more concerned with keeping her Minister safe than keeping the kids safe.
“Not only is Joy Burch unfit to be a Minister, Katy Gallagher has shown a complete lack of leadership.
“Quite frankly, this would never have happened under Jon Stanhope.
Dunno about that last bit, Katy was not held responsible for some pretty horrible cockups with children in her time.