The Western Australian government is considering launching an inquiry into the state's child-protection system following investigations that revealed multiple failures in safeguarding vulnerable Aboriginal children in Port Hedland, a mining town located 1,600 kilometres north of Perth. The proposed inquiry aims to address systemic shortcomings highlighted by recent case reviews and media reports on child safety in the Pilbara region.

Child Protection Minister Jessica Stojkovski has been regularly briefed on findings from a team led by Amber Fabry, the state's chief practitioner, who has been examining recent and ongoing cases managed by the South Hedland office of the Department of Communities. The ongoing review has prompted the removal of Aboriginal children who were previously assessed as living in safe environments. In response, the minister approved expanding the local night space for children—providing a safe refuge seven nights a week, up from three—to support vulnerable youths who may face unsafe conditions at home.

Concerns about the welfare of children in the region have intensified following revelations of neglect and inadequate responses by child-protection authorities. For example, child-protection personnel and contracted service providers reportedly were aware that neglected Aboriginal children were living alone in poor conditions in a government-owned home on Frisby Court. Although Minister Stojkovski did not find concrete evidence to corroborate accounts from neighbours and Aboriginal elders regarding the frequency and duration children were left unattended, she described the images and conditions as confronting and unacceptable. Authorities subsequently cleaned the home and relocated the children.

Further attention has focused on the deaths of three Hawke children, who were murdered in July 2022 by their mother, Margaret Hawke, amid a backdrop of repeated warnings about the children's safety that reportedly went unheeded by child welfare workers. Indigenous Australians Minister Malcolm McCarthy has voiced support for calls from the children’s grandmother, Yamatji-Wajarri woman Dorothy Papertalk, for an official inquest into the deaths.

Attorney-General Tony Buti expressed sympathy for Ms Papertalk but stated that he currently lacks the authority to initiate an inquest since a former state coroner declined to hold one. Dr Buti said he would consider ordering an inquest should new evidence emerge. Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas criticized the Cook Labor government for continuing to reject the inquest and called for transparent examination of the child-protection system’s failures. He emphasized the need to learn lessons from the tragedy, describing the ongoing issues in South Hedland as indicative of a broader lack of understanding and insufficient response to longstanding problems.

The government is reportedly weighing options on how to conduct a comprehensive inquiry, with possibilities including a parliamentary committee or an independent investigator. The inquiry would likely produce a public report intended to guide reforms designed to improve child protection services in Western Australia, particularly for Aboriginal children in the Pilbara and other vulnerable communities. The escalating scrutiny underscores growing concerns over child safety and the effectiveness of state intervention in cases involving Indigenous families.