The report, commissioned by the then premier, Anna Bligh , in and delivered to the former premier Campbell Newman in , was only made public by the current Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, on Saturday. Much of this involves varying degrees of peer pressure, coercion and sexual teasing. Some incidents involve serious violence, including with weapons and other objects. The comprehensive report also found it was not uncommon for children in the region to witness adults having sex, due to domestic overcrowding and a lack of private spaces.
Guardian Australia understands that the delay in releasing the report was to allow the communities involved a chance to respond to its findings and to work with the government and services to address the problems identified.
It was also important to protect the victims of abuse from retaliatory attacks, Guardian Australia understands. The notable thing about the two north Queensland communities is that the people in these communities have shown the courage to allow us to look closely into the problems, and then to work with us to find effective local solutions.
Though the report had only just been made public, Smallbone said Griffith University had been working closely with local community members, local service providers, local, state and federal government agencies, international prevention experts and other concerned groups since to address the problems.
Frankly, they have confounded governments of all levels and of all political persuasions for decades, in Australia and around the world. In Australia, the difficulty has not been a lack of concern. Nor has it been a lack of resources or commitment. The biggest barrier has been not knowing quite what to do. However, researchers had been working with the communities affected to deliver a locally tailored, evidence-informed, properly targeted approach, he said.
