Queensland admits children slept on floors of public service offices

The Queensland government has confirmed that vulnerable children have slept on the floors of public service offices, an approach the premier, David Crisafulli, said was used only in the early morning when other options were not available. “These kids otherwise might be on the street,” he said.

The premier’s comments followed reporting that children were removed from homes without alternative placements being organised and were sometimes sleeping on mattresses in government offices. The shadow treasurer said the department of child safety should be investigated over whether it breached its duty of care.

The child safety minister did not answer questions about how often the practice occurred before and after the October 2024 election. The Together union said the practice has become more common, telling media that children in state care had slept overnight on air mattresses at the Toowoomba and Ipswich West child safety service centres this month and last month.

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