When the hysteria subsides, what next?

As Chairman of the Abused Child Trust, which is the Queensland member of the Kids First Foundation, whose patron until recently was the Governor General, it is timely and prudent that I add comment to the current debate.

I do so, not to criticise or support any particular view, but to refocus the issue on what should be important to all Queenslanders.

The current debate about child abuse is focusing on the Governor General's actions while he was Archbishop of Brisbane. This is both helpful and harmful in a number of respects.

It is helpful in raising awareness of child abuse and forcing individuals and organisations to examine their own actions in relation to suspected and confirmed cases of abuse.

It is also helpful in uniting a community in joint abhorrence against child abuse in all its forms, which we must remember is not just sexual. Just as damaging and insidious are the emotional and physical abuse and neglect of innocent children.

However, the debate also has the potential to do great harm to a great many people.

Since the debate began, the Abused Child Trust has been inundated with phone calls from adults surviving the effects of abuse. In the current climate, these people, many of whom may never have reported nor sought help for their abuse, are daily reliving the traumas of their childhood.

They are a poignant warning of what we could still be facing 20 years hence, if we do not ensure that this current debate achieves some positive outcomes.

When the hysteria subsides, what next?

I challenge the entire community - individuals, politicians, churches, institutions that provide services for children, teachers, doctors, police, parents - to look closely at the way they personally and collectively respond to child abuse in our community.

Without adequate resources, Queensland will continue to fail in its litmus test on how we deal with child abuse.

Queensland still spends 50% less than other States on child protection services.

Despite the recommendations of the Forde Inquiry, funding was not immediately increased by the $103 million as suggested in the report. It is estimated that we are now underfunded by over $170 million as a result of the Forde recommendations not being embraced by the State Government.

Services to help children and families dealing with abuse issues are inadequate in this State, and will continue to be so, unless we, as a community, demand that priority be given to the future health and well-being of our children.

In Queensland, doctors are still the only professionals mandated to report suspected child abuse. While many sectors of the community, including education, have taken steps towards implementing procedures to report abuse and training to those who work with children to recognise abuse, this is still inadequately resourced in this State.

Our legal system also fails to deal with child abuse adequately. Less than 5% of suspected child sexual abuse cases reach the courts and even less result in a conviction.

We, as a community, have to learn to listen to, observe and respond to children who are crying out for our help.

At the end of the day, we are all victims of child abuse. Children who are abused and are unable to access appropriate support and treatment, often experience a lifetime of trauma. This may be manifested in crimes against society, such as theft, vandalism, abuse of their own children or others' and a multitude of personal problems which impact on society as a whole, such as homelessness, drug abuse and suicide.

It is our collective responsibility to ensure that we move on from the current debate, otherwise we will have wasted our energies yet again, and our children will continue to be abused.

While advocates and politicians are scoring points for their particular view, let's not allow them to avoid the real issue of ensuring that Queensland children receive the support they need to protect them from abuse.

So far in this debate, not one child has been prevented from being abused.

Let this not be the epitaph on Queensland's grave when the current issue eventually dies.