Arabic version: جدة تقول إن حماية الأطفال في ساوث هيدلاند لا تزال تُخفق

According to ABC News, South Hedland elder Dorothy Papertalk says vulnerable children are still being failed four years after the deaths of her three grandchildren, Jamelia, Arnda and Kelvin.

The children, aged 10, seven and four months, were murdered by their mother, Margaret Hawke, in July 2022 before their South Hedland home was set on fire. Hawke was sentenced to life in jail the following year. Papertalk alleges warnings were ignored and says systemic failures identified after the deaths remain.

Reports published this week described more than a dozen children allegedly living unsupervised in squalor near the home where Papertalk’s grandchildren died. WA Child Protection Minister Jessica Stojkovski travelled to Port Hedland, met local authorities and community members, and apologised to Papertalk for the situation.

Stojkovski said authorities she met could not provide evidence that children in the house were unsupervised, adding that she had confidence the family was receiving support. She also said the department acknowledged findings from its review of the earlier case and had been working to address them.

Political debate continued in the WA Parliament, with Opposition leader Basil Zempilas saying children in Frisby Court were at risk. Labor’s Divina D’Anna called for cooperation rather than political pointscoring, while Papertalk urged decision-makers to work together for children’s futures.