The statistics are grim. The number of substantiated cases of child abuse has risen from well over 24,000 in 1999-2000 to more than 58,000 in 2006-2007.

Every year, nearly 60,000 children are being harmed, abused or neglected.

And for the 28,000 children in foster care, the number of carers is falling.

These are complex issues that demand a concerted approach.

This discussion paper does not claim to have all the answers; but it recognises that existing systems are failing Australian children and must be fixed.

From: Keynote speech to the Jesuit Social Services Dinner, May 2008