Attorneys general are meeting in Darwin on Friday to work on nationalising the working with children check – sparked by serious allegations of safety breaches and child abuse in the childcare sector. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.
But a fully nationalised system will only be in place under current timelines from mid-2028 – two years from now.
The Coalition in recent days has put pressure on the government’s timeline and accused it of delaying the national system.
The federal attorney general, Michelle Rowland, says today the AGs will seek agreement on a baseline of criminal offences which will automatically bar a person from being granted or hold a working with children check (WWCC), and discuss minimum standards for WWCC risk assessment processes.
"All governments have made significant progress towards delivering a national approach to Working with Children Checks ... I am confident my state and territory colleagues will take the next big step today and agree on nationally consistent minimum standards and information sharing."
Leaders are also gathering for the Garma festival, where child protection issues may also be discussed.