Judith Collins: Attorney-General on the inquiry into the Government's actions during the Tom Phillips saga

There's assurance an inquiry into the Tom Phillips saga is important for the public, but also his children. 

Phillips was on the run with his kids for nearly four years, ending only when he died in September in a Police shootout. 

An inquiry's been confirmed to look at whether Government agencies took all practicable steps for the children's safety and welfare. 

Attorney-General Judith Collins told Mike Hosking we want to get this done so the children can better understand what unfolded. 

She says once they grow up it'd be helpful for them to know that some people tried very hard to for them. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So we've got a public inquiry into the disappearance of
the Tom Phillips and has children. That'll look at where
the government agencies took all practicable steps to protect the
children's safety and welfared Judith Collins as the ag and
as with.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
Us good morning, Good morning, Mike.

Speaker 1 (00:12):
Is this standard or driven by genuine specific concern?

Speaker 2 (00:17):
Well, the fact is that's very genuine specific concern. We
haven't had anything quite like this that I can certainly
recall children taken off by their father, essentially kidnapped and
then on the run for almost four years in the
bush with all sorts of people trying to do something,

(00:39):
but actually nothing that we can see if each way
is until he was shot and their children then saved.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
In looking at the agencies involved, the government agencies involved,
do we I mean you will know were there agencies
involved with the family prior to the event.

Speaker 2 (00:58):
I don't actually know that one. From what I can see,
it would be unusual if they work given the whole
family caught decisions around custody. So I think what we
do need to find out is what how did they react?
Goes you know, obviously want to take this back a
little way. This inquiry so that they can actually look

(01:21):
at what the agencies were doing and how they were
doing it. But I think too, you know, some we'll
find that some of the agencies or the agencies will
have done some stuff that people don't know about what
was really good. The trouble is we don't know about that,
and secondly those children might not know. I mean, this
is going for the public and for us all to

(01:42):
know about how things worked or didn't work, but actually
it's really for the children. So I mean, once they
grow up a little bit, like I think, a really
helpful thing if they know that some people tried very
hard for them.

Speaker 1 (01:58):
How constrained must have been. How constrained does mister Moore
on this, given he's constrained.

Speaker 2 (02:03):
With him within the terms of reference, which are quite white.
But they're also not going down the pathway of reviewing
the whole family courts or looking at the system as
such as saying what happened in this case, So we
have to be otherwise we could be going on for years,
and factly I think we need to get this done,

(02:25):
get some answers, and give these kids something that when
they're a little bit older, they can say some people
try their best. Some people obviously you didn't succeed, but
at least somebody tried.

Speaker 1 (02:37):
And how constrained will we be, given the courts and
the legals around it, that we will ever hear the
full story?

Speaker 2 (02:44):
I think we'll know enough that we need to know.
I mean, obviously there's a lot of rumors flying around
on this, and it is important though that the detail
is to how how this was able to happen. Were
there things that government agencies could have done better? Are

(03:06):
there any lessons there are? There also some people who
might who might shine actually frankly from it, But I
think we do need to know that we don't need
to know all the gruesome details. We certainly don't need
to know what's happened with the children. Since we don't
need to know what's happened to the children in the bush,

(03:29):
I think, I mean that's my view. Why because it's
number one, there's suppression orders, but also number two it's
just common decency. Frankly, these kids need a chance to
have a life.

Speaker 1 (03:40):
Good on you, I appreciate I have a good weekend,
Judith Collins, the Attorney General. For more from the Mic
Asking Breakfast Listen Live to news talks that'd be from
six am weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio