When the hysteria subsides, what next?

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.