Anyone who fails a Working With Children Check (WWCC) will be handed a lifetime ban effective in every Australian state in order to keep kids safe.
All states and territories on Friday agreed to strengthen the regulations around holding a WWCC to try and curb child predators.
The new rules will also ensure anyone with a criminal history applying for a WWCC is identified and blacklisted nationwide.
Attorney-General Michelle Rowland said the ‘ambitious reforms’ would address gaps in the current system of rules.
Rowland suggested the changes would come into effect by 2026, but that deadline would require each state and territory to dramatically speed up processes.
The federal government recently cracked down on 30 childcare centres which were each handed compliance orders for failing to meet national quality standards.
Each now faces losing its Commonwealth funding unless performance is dramatically boosted over the next six months.
IT updates and standardisation of check systems in states and territories have delayed the creation of a national WWCC registry which is also under consideration.
A new national Working With Children Check system will be introduced by 2026
Attorney-General Michelle Rowland said the reforms would protect children
Rowland said the new changes were designed to address ‘nefarious individuals’ who might be seeking to work with children.
‘It is notable that nefarious individuals have been shopping around the Working With Children Check system and exploiting loopholes,’ she said.
‘There is a firm commitment from all states and territories to pull out all stops, and we are working together as a team.’
Under the new rules, anyone who has ever had a WWCC revoked will also lose their current licence for life.
A National Continuous Checking Capability will soon allow authorities to monitor changes in a person’s criminal history.
The system is currently being piloted by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission.
All jurisdictions have also agreed to strengthen the criteria used nationwide when assessing eligibility for a WWCC.
This will make the creation of a national commission or registry even easier, Rowland said.
Under the new rules anyone who fails a WWCC or who has a criminal history will be banned from working with children for life
No state or territory will be asked to lower its standards to comply with the incoming national standard.
Whether or not the national registry would be made public is something the Attorney-General would ‘examine’, the Herald Sun reported.
NSW Attorney-General Michael Daley said his state had already taken action to strengthen its laws for the future.
Loopholes will soon be closed which certain predators have used to travel between states after their licence had been revoked in one.
Coalition education spokesman Jonno Duniam encouraged leaders to include shared resources, such as CCTV footage, to ensure child protection.
This would enable a ‘truly national’ system, Duniam said.
