Interview Dr Bill Glasson, AMA President, with Alison Caldwell, ABC Radio 'The World Today', AMA Summit on Child Abuse

COMPERE, HAMISH ROBERTSON: Now to the increasing incidence of child abuse which is the subject of a national summit convened in Canberra today.

Organised by the Australian Medical Association, the summit, opened by the AMA President Dr Bill Glasson, is calling for a unified national system of child protection over and above the one which exists already, and which is administered by the States.

A short time ago, Dr Glasson spoke to our Reporter Alison Caldwell.

GLASSON:     What we might not have described as child abuse 20 years ago, we do describe it now, and I think people should think about child abuse in terms of not only physical abuse and sexual abuse, but also mental abuse. That's children basically being emotionally deprived, and particularly, I suppose, not being a feeling of being loved. And I think that sort of deprivation is probably one that is hard to measure, but is a real concern in relation to the long term implications to that child as they become an adult, particularly in relation to possible self-esteem problems, and with that goes issues about how you value yourself, and obviously issues around substance abuse, alcohol abuse and also various sorts of mental diseases as well.

CALDWELL:    Now given that that definition of child abuse has broadened as you describe, I mean has the system changed in order to take that into account? Has the system adapted?

GLASSON:      I don't think it has. I think the system has been struggling to try and actually come to terms with first of all the quantity of the problem, and to try and I suppose how do you address that within the family unit? The last thing you want to do is to make the situation worse by intervention, yet on the other hand you can't sit there and just let the situation continue.

So I think it's for the community to debate this issue and part of the conference today is to talk about the ways that we can move forward, and I suppose addressing the structural changes that we need in the system. We've tended to have a patchwork response to this, and a whole series of programs that we implement. But in reality a lot of what is behind child abuse relates to really social and economic poverty. And that's the real issue, and I think if we can get the underlying problem sorted out from the point of view of what are the triggers, then we might have some chance of resolving the problem in the long term.

CALDWELL:      Okay, as it is state governments are in charge of child protection, putting a system in place to deal with it and Premiers routinely tell us that they're dealing with the issue as best they can. Are you saying there's a good deal of lip service really, in this regard?

GLASSON:       Well I think they're trying, Alison. It's not an easy solution, don't get us wrong, and I think the state governments at all levels have been trying. But I think we need more of a national approach to this. We need a unified response to this issue rather than each of us running off and doing our own little thing.

And so I do feel that though it has been a State responsibility, I think that it needs to be brought onto the centre stage of the Commonwealth as well, to try and as I said get the relevant players together, to develop strategies to try and reform the system, and that's more the point, such that we can get, I suppose, some measured outcome or measured improvement in this rather horrific problem.

CALDWELL:     What's an example of that. I mean, what's an example of the problems that are inherent in different States going their own different ways?

GLASSON:       Well I think the issues around foster care is one major area where obviously, certainly in the State of Queensland, where I've come from, where I come from, there has been issues around, you know, the Government I suppose trying to take over or trying to be the protector and I think historically the government has not traditionally been particularly good in that role or administering that role and I think there's been very much a fragmented approach around the States about that issue, how we should move with it and how we should make sure that we protect those children who need to be removed from the current situation and put in some sort of foster care situation.

CALDWELL:       So you're saying maybe the Commonwealth should play a part, rather than just the States.

GLASSON:        I think it does. I think this issue is too big to just say listen it's a State responsibility, we don't, we'll wash our hands of it. I think it needs the Commonwealth to be involved. I think it needs, in order, if we're going to have a single system of protection, I suppose, and a unified response to this issue, we do need the Commonwealth to be part of the solution.

Now you might say that the States will roll the solution out but I think that the Commonwealth with the States have to identify the approach we need to develop to try to resolve this issue and then obviously the States to implement it at their local levels.

HAMISH ROBERTSON:   AMA President Dr Bill Glasson speaking to Alison Caldwell from Canberra.

Ends