Children’s Guardian welcomes push for coordinated national response to child protection
On Friday 24 November, commonwealth, state and territory ministers met to discuss national reforms to prevent child sexual abuse in Australia in a forum hosted by federal Attorney General and Cabinet Secretary Mark Dreyfus MP.
Children’s Guardian in NSW, Steve Kinmond OAM, welcomed the initiative as a recognition that state and commonwealth jurisdictions need to better coordinate their efforts in sharing information vital to protect children.
‘I welcome Mr Dreyfus’s statement which included a commitment to look at options for a national information sharing scheme as recommended by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse,’ Mr Kinmond said.
In a statement released on 25 November, NSW Minister for Families and Communities, Kate Washington MP outlined the proposals put forward by NSW Government, which were ‘unanimously supported by all jurisdictions at the Forum’.
The forum reaffirmed commitment to child safety reforms that included:
- prioritising working with children check harmonisation, ensuring this work complements broader worker screening reforms
- adoption and alignment of reportable conduct schemes
- renewed commitment to embedding the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations in legislation, as NSW has done with amendments to the Children’s Guardian Act 2019
- raising awareness and understanding of child safety issues
- possible legislative and administrative arrangements for an information sharing scheme.
‘This forum is in part a response to the appalling allegations brought to light in August by Operation Tenterfield that led to a former childcare worker being charged with 1623 child abuse offences against 91 children, with offences in NSW, Queensland and overseas,’ Mr Kinmond said.
‘The proposed reforms need to be vigorously pursued by all levels of government to create a more effective network of safety around our children,’ he said.
