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.
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.
Rowland says:
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.