Clash Over Child Safety: Union Outraged as Queensland Government Moves to Scrap Key Workload Tracker

The Queensland government is facing accusations of trying to eliminate a critical reporting system that highlights the heavy workloads of child safety staff.

The Together Union, which represents child safety officers, revealed that the Department of Child Safety has proposed the removal of the workload management tool in its latest enterprise bargaining offer.

According to Together Union assistant secretary Dee Spink, the tool is vital because it tracks exactly how many children are assigned to individual caseworkers at any given time.

"We're actually seeking to expand the workload management tool as part of this bargaining process, and the department has told us they want to remove it," Ms Spink said.

Industrial Action Escalates

Child safety and youth justice employees have been engaged in protected industrial action since August 3 as negotiations continue.

The union has pointed out that Child Safety Minister Amanda Camm and Director-General Belinda Drew have not participated in any of the bargaining sessions.

Ms Spink noted that while she did not expect either official to attend every single meeting, they needed to show real commitment.

"But what we do expect is that they will back up their words about wanting to fix the crisis in child safety with actions," she said.

Ms Spink warned that all potential measures, including stop-work action, remain under consideration as part of the negotiations.

Minister Camm has been under mounting scrutiny following the release of statistics showing a significant rise in the number of children in residential care.

Premier and Opposition Clash Over Data

When questioned about the potential deletion of the workload tracking tool, Premier David Crisafulli appeared to contradict his department's position, stating he did not support its removal.

"I think it makes complete sense to keep it the same," he said.

"My view is that it should remain as it is, so there's a benchmark."

However, the Premier stopped short of committing to an official directive to guarantee the tool remains in place.

Opposition Leader Steven Miles accused the government of attempting to conceal data from the public. He strongly criticized Minister Camm, calling on the Premier to dismiss her from her portfolio over her absence from union bargaining meetings.

"That's not good enough for Crisafulli government ministers to continue to say that it's not their job to work with their workforces, to meet with their unions and to get positive outcomes," Mr Miles said.

Fears Over Staff Vacancies and System Accountability

This dispute follows the government's response to a landmark inquiry into child safety. Alongside its response, which accepted 32 of 52 recommendations and accepted another 16 in principle, the government released figures showing a record high of nearly 3,000 children in residential care as of March.

Ms Spink argued that removing the workload tool would prevent the public from evaluating whether these reforms are working.

"[This] offer proposes removing one of the few mechanisms that allows workers — and ultimately Queenslanders — to see whether the system is actually improving, while failing to address the excessive workloads, unpaid overtime and retention issues identified by the Commission of Inquiry," she said.

The union also expressed deep concern over ongoing staffing shortages. Ms Spink indicated she had been informed of more than 100 unfilled child safety officer roles across Queensland.

"And there is nothing in the [bargaining offer] that would address that," she said.

When approached for comment, the Minister for Child Safety redirected inquiries to the Premier's remarks.