Latest news with #RobertFitzgerald
SBS Australia
13 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Midday News Bulletin 4 July 2025
Calls for changes to working with children checks Qantas to contact millions impacted by cyber hack Three Aussie hopefuls through to round three Wimbledon A former royal commissioner has hit out at governments for failing to act sooner on a national regime for working with children checks. After it was revealed a Melbourne childcare worker was charged with more than 70 sex offences, state and federal ministers have been rushing to fast-track sector reforms. 26-year-old Joshua Dale Brown had a valid 'working with children' clearance when he allegedly abused eight children under the age of two at a Point Cook facility in Melbourne's southwest. In 2015, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse called on the federal government to facilitate a national model for working with children checks. Robert Fitzgerald, one of five members of the royal commission, says the recommendation remained unfulfilled. Federal Labor MP Dan Repacholi told Channel Nine that more must be done. "It's absolutely sickening what's happened down here in Victoria, and as Jason Clare admitted yesterday, there is more that should have been done a little bit quicker, and we're acting on that. We're working heavily with the state government, so both Victoria and New South Wales governments, we support the changes they're putting in, and we'll continue to work with them and make sure that we are putting those kids front and centre to make sure that they're getting the best care they can, and the best education they can as well.' Qantas says next week it will contact the six million customers whose data was hacked into by cyber criminals, informing them of exactly what type of information was collected. After revealing the hack earlier this week, Qantas assured customers the breach did not expose sensitive information such as bank details, passport numbers, or frequent flyer points. The company says the group responsible for the incident remains unclear and they have not received a ransom request. Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson says the airline is working with government authorities to investigate the incident. "I know this data breach is a serious concern. I know the stress that it has created for many, many millions of customers that we've had. And so right up front, I want to say, we take this seriously, and we are going to do everything that we can to communicate transparently to you and also support you through this process." The Federal Emergency Management Minister has announced an additional $45 million has been put in a flood recovery package for western Queensland, with support for New South Wales primary producers. Jointly funded by the state and federal governments, the cash injection is set to support primary producers, tourism operators and small businesses impacted by the flooding. The additional support will offer eligible primary producers grants of up to $75,000 to assist with clean up, repairs, replacing lost or damaged assets, and restocking and replanting. Kristy McBain says recovery will be a long-haul effort. "We want to make sure that the three levels of government are working together seamlessly to help the community to recover from what's been a devastating event. But this has been the cumulative and compounding impact of a number of rain and flooding events in the mid north coast and the Hunter region. We recognize that primary producers in particular have been doing it tough, and that they will need that additional support to replace, plant and equipment to work on fencing and to replace livestock." New South Wales Police have arrested a 63-year-old woman at Sydney Airport after she allegedly defrauded a 77-year-old woman using a 'blessing scam'. Th elderly Chinese woman is the latest victim of a scam targeting people of Asian background, with more than 80 incidents reported since 2023 and over $3 million stolen. The scam involves convincing people their wealth needs to blessed and encouraging them to hand over large sums of money and valuables. The items are then swapped for items of no value and the victim is told not to open the bag for an extended period of time. A police strike force has been running since April, investigating alleged blessing scams across Sydney since 2023. Consumer regulator the ACCC, is warning consumers about online 'ghost stores' - which claim to be small, local operators with high quality products - when they're actually based overseas, selling products from third-party suppliers. The regulator says they typically include the name of an Australian town or suburb in their brand or website address, claim to be closing, adding a sense of urgency, and use targeted paid advertising on social media platforms. They can also use A-I generated images, have no or limited contact details, a return address different to the shipping one, and may have recently created social media pages. ACCC Deputy chair Catriona Lowe says they're hoping to work with platforms where ads are appearing. "So, one of the things that we've done is written to Meta and we've asked them to come back to us and talk to us to tell us what they're doing to make sure these ads on their platform can be picked up and stamped out, similarly, many of these stores are using Shopify and we've similarly written to Shopify." To tennis now, Alex de Minaur and Daria Kasatkina, Australia's biggest Wimbledon hopes, have fought their way into the third round of Wimbledon. In perfect sunny conditions, Alex de Minaur brushed off a poor first set against French qualifier Arthur Cazaux, before showing some signs of his best tennis in a 4-6 6-2 6-4 6-0 victory. Then, after his fellow Sydneysider Aleksandar Vukic was defeated by world Number 1 Jannik Sinner, the other national Number 1, Kasatkina, defeated old Romanian rival Irina-Camelia Begu. So, there'll be at least three Australians in the last 32, with Jordan Thompson having made it into the third round on Wednesday.
The Advertiser
18 hours ago
- The Advertiser
'Shameful': national work-with-kids system long overdue
A former royal commissioner has rebuked governments for dragging their feet on creating a national regime for working with children checks. State and federal ministers have been scrambling to fast-track reforms to Australia's childcare sector after it was revealed on Tuesday a Melbourne carer was charged with more than 70 sex offences. Joshua Dale Brown allegedly abused eight children aged under two at a Point Cook facility in the city's southwest from April 2022 to January 2023. The 26-year-old, who had a valid working with children clearance, was not known to police or subject to any complaints before his arrest in May. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse called on the federal government in 2015 to "facilitate a national model" for working with children checks. Robert Fitzgerald, one of five members of the royal commission, said the recommendation remained unfulfilled. "My view is that is shameful," the now-age discrimination commissioner told AAP. "Ten years on, that job should have been completed and the fact that it isn't means there are gaps in our child safeguarding regime." Every state and territory maintains separate working with children schemes with different rules and requirements. Victoria, Queensland and NSW have all committed to reviewing or tightening up their regimes. Uniform schemes would not completely negate the risk of child sexual abuse but would be an important first step, Mr Fitzgerald argued. A 2022 Victorian ombudsman report exposed "serious flaws" in the state's scheme after former Melbourne City Mission worker Alexander Jones was convicted of sexually assaulting a child in 2018. Jones was investigated for multiple alleged sexual offences in NSW but granted a permit in Victoria because his national police check was clean, as he had not been charged. It remains the case that people under investigation for serious offences can hold a working with children check in Victoria. Only criminal charges or a regulatory finding can lead to it being revoked. Strengthening working with children checks will also be discussed at a meeting of state and federal attorneys-general in August. Victoria's Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn said national reform work was "frustratingly slow". Federal Education Minister Jason Clare described the system as complicated but conceded the reforms have taken "too bloody long". Fellow senior frontbencher Clare O'Neil said she didn't have a good answer for why the royal commission's recommendations had been left on the shelf. "A lot of these predators would pass a working with children check," she said. The crisis has also cast a spotlight on educator-to-child ratios across the country. The ratios do not require more than one carer to be around a child or group at any given time, unlike the Netherlands' "four eyes" principle. A father whose two children attended the Point Cook childcare centre wants CCTV installed throughout the facility and questioned the lack of staff supervision. "There should also be two people there at all times," said Satbir, who didn't want his surname included. NSW has flagged a trial of CCTV cameras in centres, while an urgent Victorian review is looking at making the technology mandatory. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 A former royal commissioner has rebuked governments for dragging their feet on creating a national regime for working with children checks. State and federal ministers have been scrambling to fast-track reforms to Australia's childcare sector after it was revealed on Tuesday a Melbourne carer was charged with more than 70 sex offences. Joshua Dale Brown allegedly abused eight children aged under two at a Point Cook facility in the city's southwest from April 2022 to January 2023. The 26-year-old, who had a valid working with children clearance, was not known to police or subject to any complaints before his arrest in May. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse called on the federal government in 2015 to "facilitate a national model" for working with children checks. Robert Fitzgerald, one of five members of the royal commission, said the recommendation remained unfulfilled. "My view is that is shameful," the now-age discrimination commissioner told AAP. "Ten years on, that job should have been completed and the fact that it isn't means there are gaps in our child safeguarding regime." Every state and territory maintains separate working with children schemes with different rules and requirements. Victoria, Queensland and NSW have all committed to reviewing or tightening up their regimes. Uniform schemes would not completely negate the risk of child sexual abuse but would be an important first step, Mr Fitzgerald argued. A 2022 Victorian ombudsman report exposed "serious flaws" in the state's scheme after former Melbourne City Mission worker Alexander Jones was convicted of sexually assaulting a child in 2018. Jones was investigated for multiple alleged sexual offences in NSW but granted a permit in Victoria because his national police check was clean, as he had not been charged. It remains the case that people under investigation for serious offences can hold a working with children check in Victoria. Only criminal charges or a regulatory finding can lead to it being revoked. Strengthening working with children checks will also be discussed at a meeting of state and federal attorneys-general in August. Victoria's Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn said national reform work was "frustratingly slow". Federal Education Minister Jason Clare described the system as complicated but conceded the reforms have taken "too bloody long". Fellow senior frontbencher Clare O'Neil said she didn't have a good answer for why the royal commission's recommendations had been left on the shelf. "A lot of these predators would pass a working with children check," she said. The crisis has also cast a spotlight on educator-to-child ratios across the country. The ratios do not require more than one carer to be around a child or group at any given time, unlike the Netherlands' "four eyes" principle. A father whose two children attended the Point Cook childcare centre wants CCTV installed throughout the facility and questioned the lack of staff supervision. "There should also be two people there at all times," said Satbir, who didn't want his surname included. NSW has flagged a trial of CCTV cameras in centres, while an urgent Victorian review is looking at making the technology mandatory. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 A former royal commissioner has rebuked governments for dragging their feet on creating a national regime for working with children checks. State and federal ministers have been scrambling to fast-track reforms to Australia's childcare sector after it was revealed on Tuesday a Melbourne carer was charged with more than 70 sex offences. Joshua Dale Brown allegedly abused eight children aged under two at a Point Cook facility in the city's southwest from April 2022 to January 2023. The 26-year-old, who had a valid working with children clearance, was not known to police or subject to any complaints before his arrest in May. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse called on the federal government in 2015 to "facilitate a national model" for working with children checks. Robert Fitzgerald, one of five members of the royal commission, said the recommendation remained unfulfilled. "My view is that is shameful," the now-age discrimination commissioner told AAP. "Ten years on, that job should have been completed and the fact that it isn't means there are gaps in our child safeguarding regime." Every state and territory maintains separate working with children schemes with different rules and requirements. Victoria, Queensland and NSW have all committed to reviewing or tightening up their regimes. Uniform schemes would not completely negate the risk of child sexual abuse but would be an important first step, Mr Fitzgerald argued. A 2022 Victorian ombudsman report exposed "serious flaws" in the state's scheme after former Melbourne City Mission worker Alexander Jones was convicted of sexually assaulting a child in 2018. Jones was investigated for multiple alleged sexual offences in NSW but granted a permit in Victoria because his national police check was clean, as he had not been charged. It remains the case that people under investigation for serious offences can hold a working with children check in Victoria. Only criminal charges or a regulatory finding can lead to it being revoked. Strengthening working with children checks will also be discussed at a meeting of state and federal attorneys-general in August. Victoria's Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn said national reform work was "frustratingly slow". Federal Education Minister Jason Clare described the system as complicated but conceded the reforms have taken "too bloody long". Fellow senior frontbencher Clare O'Neil said she didn't have a good answer for why the royal commission's recommendations had been left on the shelf. "A lot of these predators would pass a working with children check," she said. The crisis has also cast a spotlight on educator-to-child ratios across the country. The ratios do not require more than one carer to be around a child or group at any given time, unlike the Netherlands' "four eyes" principle. A father whose two children attended the Point Cook childcare centre wants CCTV installed throughout the facility and questioned the lack of staff supervision. "There should also be two people there at all times," said Satbir, who didn't want his surname included. NSW has flagged a trial of CCTV cameras in centres, while an urgent Victorian review is looking at making the technology mandatory. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 A former royal commissioner has rebuked governments for dragging their feet on creating a national regime for working with children checks. State and federal ministers have been scrambling to fast-track reforms to Australia's childcare sector after it was revealed on Tuesday a Melbourne carer was charged with more than 70 sex offences. Joshua Dale Brown allegedly abused eight children aged under two at a Point Cook facility in the city's southwest from April 2022 to January 2023. The 26-year-old, who had a valid working with children clearance, was not known to police or subject to any complaints before his arrest in May. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse called on the federal government in 2015 to "facilitate a national model" for working with children checks. Robert Fitzgerald, one of five members of the royal commission, said the recommendation remained unfulfilled. "My view is that is shameful," the now-age discrimination commissioner told AAP. "Ten years on, that job should have been completed and the fact that it isn't means there are gaps in our child safeguarding regime." Every state and territory maintains separate working with children schemes with different rules and requirements. Victoria, Queensland and NSW have all committed to reviewing or tightening up their regimes. Uniform schemes would not completely negate the risk of child sexual abuse but would be an important first step, Mr Fitzgerald argued. A 2022 Victorian ombudsman report exposed "serious flaws" in the state's scheme after former Melbourne City Mission worker Alexander Jones was convicted of sexually assaulting a child in 2018. Jones was investigated for multiple alleged sexual offences in NSW but granted a permit in Victoria because his national police check was clean, as he had not been charged. It remains the case that people under investigation for serious offences can hold a working with children check in Victoria. Only criminal charges or a regulatory finding can lead to it being revoked. Strengthening working with children checks will also be discussed at a meeting of state and federal attorneys-general in August. Victoria's Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn said national reform work was "frustratingly slow". Federal Education Minister Jason Clare described the system as complicated but conceded the reforms have taken "too bloody long". Fellow senior frontbencher Clare O'Neil said she didn't have a good answer for why the royal commission's recommendations had been left on the shelf. "A lot of these predators would pass a working with children check," she said. The crisis has also cast a spotlight on educator-to-child ratios across the country. The ratios do not require more than one carer to be around a child or group at any given time, unlike the Netherlands' "four eyes" principle. A father whose two children attended the Point Cook childcare centre wants CCTV installed throughout the facility and questioned the lack of staff supervision. "There should also be two people there at all times," said Satbir, who didn't want his surname included. NSW has flagged a trial of CCTV cameras in centres, while an urgent Victorian review is looking at making the technology mandatory. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
Perth Now
a day ago
- Perth Now
'Shameful': national work-with-kids system long overdue
A former royal commissioner has rebuked governments for dragging their feet on creating a national regime for working with children checks. State and federal ministers have been scrambling to fast-track reforms to Australia's childcare sector after it was revealed on Tuesday a Melbourne carer was charged with more than 70 sex offences. Joshua Dale Brown allegedly abused eight children aged under two at a Point Cook facility in the city's southwest from April 2022 to January 2023. The 26-year-old, who had a valid working with children clearance, was not known to police or subject to any complaints before his arrest in May. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse called on the federal government in 2015 to "facilitate a national model" for working with children checks. Robert Fitzgerald, one of five members of the royal commission, said the recommendation remained unfulfilled. "My view is that is shameful," the now-age discrimination commissioner told AAP. "Ten years on, that job should have been completed and the fact that it isn't means there are gaps in our child safeguarding regime." Every state and territory maintains separate working with children schemes with different rules and requirements. Victoria, Queensland and NSW have all committed to reviewing or tightening up their regimes. Uniform schemes would not completely negate the risk of child sexual abuse but would be an important first step, Mr Fitzgerald argued. A 2022 Victorian ombudsman report exposed "serious flaws" in the state's scheme after former Melbourne City Mission worker Alexander Jones was convicted of sexually assaulting a child in 2018. Jones was investigated for multiple alleged sexual offences in NSW but granted a permit in Victoria because his national police check was clean, as he had not been charged. It remains the case that people under investigation for serious offences can hold a working with children check in Victoria. Only criminal charges or a regulatory finding can lead to it being revoked. Strengthening working with children checks will also be discussed at a meeting of state and federal attorneys-general in August. Victoria's Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn said national reform work was "frustratingly slow". Federal Education Minister Jason Clare described the system as complicated but conceded the reforms have taken "too bloody long". Fellow senior frontbencher Clare O'Neil said she didn't have a good answer for why the royal commission's recommendations had been left on the shelf. "A lot of these predators would pass a working with children check," she said. The crisis has also cast a spotlight on educator-to-child ratios across the country. The ratios do not require more than one carer to be around a child or group at any given time, unlike the Netherlands' "four eyes" principle. A father whose two children attended the Point Cook childcare centre wants CCTV installed throughout the facility and questioned the lack of staff supervision. "There should also be two people there at all times," said Satbir, who didn't want his surname included. NSW has flagged a trial of CCTV cameras in centres, while an urgent Victorian review is looking at making the technology mandatory. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
ABC News
3 days ago
- ABC News
10 years on from child sexual abuse RC, nothing has changed
ABC NewsRadio's Sarah Morice spoke with Robert Fitzgerald AM, a lawyer who served as a Commissioner on The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The Commission, which went for 5 years recommended a standardised working with children check on a national database.... It still hasn't happened. It comes amid renewed calls for reform after a childcare worker in Victoria was charged with more than 70 offences, including sexual offences.
