Legal top guns target national working with kids scheme
Federal Attorney-General Michelle Rowland is meeting with state and territory counterparts in Sydney on Friday to discuss setting up a national system for working with children checks.
Calls for a unified system have been growing following multiple reports of abuse in childcare centres.
In one instance, a Victorian childcare worker was still allowed to retain his working with children check and work in the industry despite a major provider substantiating grooming allegations.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the reports were shocking and indicated more needed to be done to fix working with children checks.
"It's hopeless, and we need to do better, quite clearly, and these revelations are a wake-up call for state and territory governments in terms of the regulations," he told ABC Radio on Friday.
"The reports that we've seen recently have shocked parents and every parent's worst nightmare. That's why we are taking action at the national level."
Recommendations for a national working with children check scheme were made in the findings of the 2017 royal commission into child sexual abuse.
Ms Rowland conceded the reform had not happened quickly enough.
"All representatives of states and territories are united in the goal of making this system better and making it safer for children, which should be our top priority," she told ABC Radio.
"I acknowledged this has taken too long, but I wish to reassure Australians that ... this is top of the agenda.
"What this will mean is that someone who is banned in one state or territory is banned in all states and territories."
Ms Rowland said a lack of a national scheme for working with children checks put young people at risk.
The attorney-general said she was hopeful a national scheme would be in place within 12 months.
It comes as a NSW parliamentary inquiry on Thursday was told childcare centres were not checking whether staff were allowed to work with children before they were hired.
The inquiry was also told banned worker were able to work in the industry for years without oversight.
Liberal senator Jane Hume said a national scheme should have been implemented with "more urgency" when the coalition were last in government.
"This is the right approach, to get a nationally uniform approach to working with children checks," she told Seven's Sunrise program.
Laws passed by the federal parliament in July will strip funding from childcare centres not meeting compliance.
Education ministers will also meet next week to consider further child safety laws for childcare centres.
Among the measures being considered are use of CCTV in centres, as well as mandatory child safety training.
Current working with children check laws are "hopeless", the prime minister concedes, as Australia's top legal advisors meet to consider a national scheme.
Federal Attorney-General Michelle Rowland is meeting with state and territory counterparts in Sydney on Friday to discuss setting up a national system for working with children checks.
Calls for a unified system have been growing following multiple reports of abuse in childcare centres.
In one instance, a Victorian childcare worker was still allowed to retain his working with children check and work in the industry despite a major provider substantiating grooming allegations.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the reports were shocking and indicated more needed to be done to fix working with children checks.
"It's hopeless, and we need to do better, quite clearly, and these revelations are a wake-up call for state and territory governments in terms of the regulations," he told ABC Radio on Friday.
"The reports that we've seen recently have shocked parents and every parent's worst nightmare. That's why we are taking action at the national level."
Recommendations for a national working with children check scheme were made in the findings of the 2017 royal commission into child sexual abuse.
Ms Rowland conceded the reform had not happened quickly enough.
"All representatives of states and territories are united in the goal of making this system better and making it safer for children, which should be our top priority," she told ABC Radio.
"I acknowledged this has taken too long, but I wish to reassure Australians that ... this is top of the agenda.
"What this will mean is that someone who is banned in one state or territory is banned in all states and territories."
Ms Rowland said a lack of a national scheme for working with children checks put young people at risk.
The attorney-general said she was hopeful a national scheme would be in place within 12 months.
It comes as a NSW parliamentary inquiry on Thursday was told childcare centres were not checking whether staff were allowed to work with children before they were hired.
The inquiry was also told banned worker were able to work in the industry for years without oversight.
Liberal senator Jane Hume said a national scheme should have been implemented with "more urgency" when the coalition were last in government.
"This is the right approach, to get a nationally uniform approach to working with children checks," she told Seven's Sunrise program.
Laws passed by the federal parliament in July will strip funding from childcare centres not meeting compliance.
Education ministers will also meet next week to consider further child safety laws for childcare centres.
Among the measures being considered are use of CCTV in centres, as well as mandatory child safety training.
Current working with children check laws are "hopeless", the prime minister concedes, as Australia's top legal advisors meet to consider a national scheme.
Federal Attorney-General Michelle Rowland is meeting with state and territory counterparts in Sydney on Friday to discuss setting up a national system for working with children checks.
Calls for a unified system have been growing following multiple reports of abuse in childcare centres.
In one instance, a Victorian childcare worker was still allowed to retain his working with children check and work in the industry despite a major provider substantiating grooming allegations.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the reports were shocking and indicated more needed to be done to fix working with children checks.
"It's hopeless, and we need to do better, quite clearly, and these revelations are a wake-up call for state and territory governments in terms of the regulations," he told ABC Radio on Friday.
"The reports that we've seen recently have shocked parents and every parent's worst nightmare. That's why we are taking action at the national level."
Recommendations for a national working with children check scheme were made in the findings of the 2017 royal commission into child sexual abuse.
Ms Rowland conceded the reform had not happened quickly enough.
"All representatives of states and territories are united in the goal of making this system better and making it safer for children, which should be our top priority," she told ABC Radio.
"I acknowledged this has taken too long, but I wish to reassure Australians that ... this is top of the agenda.
"What this will mean is that someone who is banned in one state or territory is banned in all states and territories."
Ms Rowland said a lack of a national scheme for working with children checks put young people at risk.
The attorney-general said she was hopeful a national scheme would be in place within 12 months.
It comes as a NSW parliamentary inquiry on Thursday was told childcare centres were not checking whether staff were allowed to work with children before they were hired.
The inquiry was also told banned worker were able to work in the industry for years without oversight.
Liberal senator Jane Hume said a national scheme should have been implemented with "more urgency" when the coalition were last in government.
"This is the right approach, to get a nationally uniform approach to working with children checks," she told Seven's Sunrise program.
Laws passed by the federal parliament in July will strip funding from childcare centres not meeting compliance.
Education ministers will also meet next week to consider further child safety laws for childcare centres.
Among the measures being considered are use of CCTV in centres, as well as mandatory child safety training.
Current working with children check laws are "hopeless", the prime minister concedes, as Australia's top legal advisors meet to consider a national scheme.
Federal Attorney-General Michelle Rowland is meeting with state and territory counterparts in Sydney on Friday to discuss setting up a national system for working with children checks.
Calls for a unified system have been growing following multiple reports of abuse in childcare centres.
In one instance, a Victorian childcare worker was still allowed to retain his working with children check and work in the industry despite a major provider substantiating grooming allegations.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the reports were shocking and indicated more needed to be done to fix working with children checks.
"It's hopeless, and we need to do better, quite clearly, and these revelations are a wake-up call for state and territory governments in terms of the regulations," he told ABC Radio on Friday.
"The reports that we've seen recently have shocked parents and every parent's worst nightmare. That's why we are taking action at the national level."
Recommendations for a national working with children check scheme were made in the findings of the 2017 royal commission into child sexual abuse.
Ms Rowland conceded the reform had not happened quickly enough.
"All representatives of states and territories are united in the goal of making this system better and making it safer for children, which should be our top priority," she told ABC Radio.
"I acknowledged this has taken too long, but I wish to reassure Australians that ... this is top of the agenda.
"What this will mean is that someone who is banned in one state or territory is banned in all states and territories."
Ms Rowland said a lack of a national scheme for working with children checks put young people at risk.
The attorney-general said she was hopeful a national scheme would be in place within 12 months.
It comes as a NSW parliamentary inquiry on Thursday was told childcare centres were not checking whether staff were allowed to work with children before they were hired.
The inquiry was also told banned worker were able to work in the industry for years without oversight.
Liberal senator Jane Hume said a national scheme should have been implemented with "more urgency" when the coalition were last in government.
"This is the right approach, to get a nationally uniform approach to working with children checks," she told Seven's Sunrise program.
Laws passed by the federal parliament in July will strip funding from childcare centres not meeting compliance.
Education ministers will also meet next week to consider further child safety laws for childcare centres.
Among the measures being considered are use of CCTV in centres, as well as mandatory child safety training.
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