Australian Productivity Commission figures show that South Australia spent the least per child* on child protection services of all Australian states in 2011-12, about 70 per cent of the Australian average. This, comparisons on out-of-home care and intensive family support services and the historical trends are in the Guardian’s report Expenditure on child protection, out-of-home care and intensive family services.
* The ‘per child’ rate is the rate for all children, not limited to those who receive services.