Latest news with #WorkingWithChildrenChecks
SBS Australia
2 days ago
- Politics
- SBS Australia
SBS News in Filipino, Saturday 16 August 2025
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin meet in Alaska in an effort to end the Ukraine war. Parents and unions welcome reforms to Working with Children Checks. Defence launches largest overseas exercise of 2025 with Exercise Alon 25 in the Philippines. LISTEN TO THE PODCAST SBS Filipino 06:06 Filipino 📢 Where to Catch SBS Filipino
SBS Australia
2 days ago
- Politics
- SBS Australia
Midday News Bulletin 16 August 2025
Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts . TRANSCRIPT: The US and Russian presidents fail to come to a Ukraine peace deal A 5.6 magnitude earthquake strikes Queensland leaving thousands without power Brisbane thrash Fremantle by 57 points as Fyfe's finals hopes fade Parents and unions have cautiously welcomed reforms to Working with Children Checks but say further action is needed to protect children. Under changes announced on Friday, anyone barred from holding a check in one state or territory will, by year's end, be automatically banned nationwide. Attorney-General Michelle Rowland calls the reform long overdue but rules out a single national system, with states and territories continuing to run their own checks. "This is long overdue reform that Australians rightly expect will be delivered. We do not have a national scheme, and the states and territories administer those schemes. We are looking at a way in which we can get the most efficient outcome, and that is by individual state schemes talking to one another. That's what we are going to do through the National Checking Capability, and that's what states and territories have agreed." The Australian Childcare Alliance says the move would help close dangerous loopholes but urged further measures, including a national register for early childhood educators and teachers. United States President Donald Trump says he and Russian President Vladimir Putin were not able to reach an agreement at talks in Alaska, but he believes progress has been made toward achieving a ceasefire in Ukraine. The summit has been the first face-to-face encounter for the two leaders since 2019. While President Trump seemed confident of achieving a deal with Russia prior to the meeting, he now says there are still some key points that need to be addressed first. "There's no deal until there's a deal. I will call up NATO in a little while, I will call up President Zelenskyy and tell him about today's meeting. It's ultimately up to them. But we had an extremely productive meeting and many points were agreed to and there are just a very few that are left. Some are not that significant. One is probably the most significant, but we have a very good chance of getting there. We didn't get there, but we have a very good chance of getting there." President Putin praised Mr Trump for helping make diplomatic progress toward peace. "Our talks were held in a constructive and mutually respectful atmosphere, and were very thorough and useful. I would like to thank my American colleague once again for the offer to come to Alaska. It is quite logical to meet here. After all, our countries, although separated by oceans, are in fact close neighbours." Mr Putin has also suggested the next round of talks could take place in Moscow. The Albanese government has welcomed the diplomatic steps taken by United States President Donald Trump at talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Attorney-General Michelle Rowland tells Channel Seven that all tools must be used to push for an end to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine has been going on for too long and we as a government welcome the United States involvement to try to bring this conflict to a close. Australia stands with Ukraine and any methods and any useful tools that the US could have at its disposal through this meeting is one that we certainly welcome because I'm sure that all Australians want to see this conflict end, as does the rest of the free world." An earthquake has struck Queensland with thousands feeling the effects near Australia's east coast. Geoscience Australia registered a 5.6 magnitude earthquake near the Wrattens National Park at Kilkivan, about 170 kilometres northwest of Brisbane this morning. The quake was recorded about 9:50am at a depth of two kilometres. More than 6000 people told the agency that they felt the affects of the quake within half an hour. The agency says earthquakes above magnitude five occur every one-to-two years, with an average of 100 quakes at magnitude three or lower recorded each year in Australia. Half a century ago then prime minister Gough Whitlam poured a handful of soil into the hands of a man who had led an eight-year protest for the rights of his people On the 16th of August 1975 Mr Whitlam travelled to Wave Hill Station, about 600 kilometres south of Darwin, to hand back land to the Gurindji people. It was the first time the Commonwealth Government had returned land to its original custodians. During the handover ceremony, transferring leasehold title to a parcel of land at the Wave Hill cattle station to Gurindji people, Mr Whitlam poured the soil into the hands of senior Elder Vincent Lingiari. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the iconic image of the exchange is an enduring tribute to the courage, determination and solidarity of Gurindji people. In football, Liverpool have beaten Bournemouth in a 4-2 thriller at Anfield in the opening match of the Premier League season. Newcomer Hugo Ekiteke bagged a goal on his debut before Cody Gakpo doubled the lead at the beginning of the second half. But Antoine Semenyo, who was the target of racist abuse from fans in the first half, scored twice in 12 minutes to shock the home fans and level the playing field. But Mo Salah and fellow forward Federico Chiesa struck late goals to give the league champions a welcome win as they begin the defence of their title.
Daily Telegraph
3 days ago
- Daily Telegraph
Major changes to working with children checks in Australia
Don't miss out on the headlines from Breaking News. Followed categories will be added to My News. Australia's states and territories have unanimously committed to major changes around working with children checks by the end of the year after a spate of arrests of alleged child predators sparked national outrage. Attorney-General Michelle Rowland had promised a 'banned in one, banned in all' system – in which a person banned from holding a WWCC in one state cannot obtain one in another – would be the 'first item on the agenda' when she met with state and territory counterparts. 'Attorney-Generals today agreed to toughening the system to ensure that if you're banned from holding a working with children check in one jurisdiction, you're banned in all of them,' Ms Rowland said after that first meeting wrapped up on Friday. Under the changes, criminal histories will be updated and shared in real time between jurisdictions, and the criteria that determines who is able to obtain a WWCC will be strengthened. 'It is notable that nefarious individuals have been shopping around the working with children check system and exploiting loopholes,' Ms Rowland said. In May, Victoria Police charged Joshua Dale Brown, 26, with more than 70 offences, including child rape and possession of child abuse material. He was a worker at Creative Garden Early Learning Centre in Point Cook and had a WWCC. Melbourne childcare worker Joshua Brown was charged with more than 70 offences after allegedly using his job to abuse children. Picture Supplied In July, after a court order was rescinded, it was revealed a 26-year-old Sydney man had been charged in late 2024 with allegedly using his position as an after-school care worker to produce child abuse material with 10 children aged six and under. Australian Federal Police officers allege David William James produced child abuse material of 10 victims, the oldest being six years old. It is further alleged Mr James's offending was linked to his employment with six different out-of-school hours care services in North Sydney and the Sydney CBD between April 2021 and May 2024. David James allegedly used his position as an after-school care worker to make child abuse material. Picture: Supplied Despite earlier concerns a national system would take up to 12 months to implement, Ms Rowland said the national system would be operational by the end of the year. She credited work leading up to the meeting by states and territories, as well as a taskforce within her own department, for the faster delivery. 'These are complex areas, but that is no excuse for saying this is too hard as, let's be frank, has occurred until now,' she said. 'The fact is that we have come together, noting that a significant body of work has occurred in the lead-up to this meeting. It has meant that my department, for example, has established a specific taskforce within it to ensure that there is proper liaison between the states and territories.' Attorney-General Michelle Rowland said the changes had been agreed to by all states and territories. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman The changes stem from the 2015 Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Asked why the changes took a decade to implement, Ms Rowland said 'these are complex areas', including IT systems, and in many cases the minister responsible was not the attorney-general. Her message to parents with children abused in the interim was that 'they have been let down by successive governments at all levels'. 'We are here as representatives of the states, territories and Commonwealth to say we're here to make that right, and that is why we are taking decisive action,' Ms Rowland said. She said the government was committed to establishing a 'national continuous checking capability' for states to 'plug into' at a 'cost'. Asked whether a national scheme would stop offenders who had never held a WWCC, Ms Rowland said: 'This is not going to solve every single nefarious actor out there who seeks to do children harm.' Ms Rowland said the changes did not seek to make every state's system the same, instead 'looking for consistency'. She said the key issue in introducing a national scheme was time. The government will consider further reforms to the sector, including whether to make a database public. State governments have grappled with the fallout from multiple high-profile instances of alleged abuse at childcare centres. The Victorian government has said it will require childcare centres to ban personal mobile devices from September 26, and launched an urgent review. NSW Premier Chris Minns on Friday said his government would comply with and make available funds for a national database once it was implemented. ' I think that it's common sense to say that if someone's been struck off in Western Australia, then that's a leading indicator that they shouldn't be able to have a working with children's check in NSW,' Mr Minns said. Originally published as Major changes announced after alleged childcare predators charged
Herald Sun
3 days ago
- Herald Sun
Accused Sydney dance instructor teaches children dance in Melbourne while being investigated by employer
Don't miss out on the headlines from Police & Courts. Followed categories will be added to My News. Dance teachers are calling for urgent national reform on Working With Children Checks after an instructor was able to teach students in Melbourne while being investigated by her Sydney employer over grooming allegations. The well-known teacher was accused of supplying minors with drugs and alcohol and sending them inappropriate images of herself. Melbourne staff who verified her WWCC were later 'furious'. A complaint was made against the woman in June last year, and that triggered an investigation by the Sydney dance school she worked for. Despite this, she was able to teach at a summer program in January in Melbourne. The teacher ran a masterclass during the four-day Melbourne workshop, which included students from across the state. Later that month, NSW police confirmed they had launched a probe into her alleged misconduct. No charges have been laid, but the police inquiry continues. A spokesman for the Melbourne dance school said he did not know the teacher was being probed by her NSW employer at the time she taught their masterclass. He said they had checked her WWCC through the NSW and Victorian verification system, and it was valid. 'We were furious,' he said. 'How is it possible that she had allegedly done these things and people were looking into it but her WWCC was still valid? You rely on that.' The spokesman said he never felt the WWCC was an adequate protection system. 'To a certain extent you have to take it into your own hands … if you really want to look after your students and look after your school,' he said. 'I don't think you can rely on the government protocols to help you do that.' He said the school had cut ties with the teacher. It's unclear whether she taught at any other studios across the state. Dance Arts Alliance vice chair Mike Harrison-Lamond said children deserved a system without loopholes. 'It is unacceptable that a person under investigation for child abuse or grooming in one state may simply move their work to another until a conviction comes, if ever,' he said. Every week, nearly half a million Australian children attend dance studios, making dancing one of the top three activities for girls. On Friday, Attorneys-General from each state will meet to discuss ways to improve WWCCs, with the peak body pushing for a national system where the clearance, suspension or investigation status of teachers is recognised by all states and territories. There is no current unified system linking state-based WWCCs, which allows individuals to slip through the system just by crossing state borders. Mr Harrison-Lamond said the peak body was calling for a central register and mandatory immediate notification rules. That meant if anyone – even teachers hosting masterclasses who are not listed as staff – was under formal investigation, dance studios nationwide would instantly know. 'This industry must have the strongest possible safeguards,' Mr Harrison-Lamond said. 'A single national WWCC system with a central register is essential to child-safe practice.' Meanwhile, a petition has garnered nearly 20,000 signatures to protect students across the dance industry. New way to ban predators working with kids
ABC News
5 days ago
- ABC News
Paedophile banned, Working with Children Checks mandated for Perth Royal Show exhibitors
Perth Royal Show organisers say a convicted paedophile has been "banned for life" after the ABC revealed he ran demonstrations for children last year. And the revelation has led to a revision of the show's Working with Children Checks, which have now become mandatory for exhibitors. The paedophile, a prominent WA farmer and businessman, was spotted by the mother of his victim in a pavilion last year surrounded by young children as he performed a cow-milking demonstration. The man is considered a Class One offender under the Working With Children Act, and due to the seriousness of his offending, would not have been granted a clearance if he had been required to obtain one by organisers. The incident prompted child safety advocates to call for mandatory Working with Children Checks, saying they would "remove any doubt". Royal Agricultural Society chief executive Robyn Sermon said this year, all exhibitors and volunteers would be required to have Working with Children Checks — but stopped short of requiring them for all vendors. Ms Sermon said since the incident, show organisers had increased the number of background checks to more than 1,000, more than double the number from last year, as she sought to assure parents the show was safe. "We have 80 monitored cameras, we have an emergency operations centre, we have 55 police on site, 130 security guards and hundreds of trained people," she said. She said it was not "feasible" to implement mandatory Working with Children Checks for all vendors, but the show would take a "risk-based" approach. "It depends on what people are doing, if people are sitting under a camera selling … hats to people in full public view, they're not necessarily required," Ms Sermon said. "We have over probably 5,000 people involved in pulling the show together, many from small businesses, many from smaller community organisations, many volunteers, as you're aware, and so we think we've got the balance [right]." Background checks were only a "part of the puzzle", she said. "I think we've taken a very pragmatic approach," Ms Sermon said. 'I think parents, when they come to the show, are very good at supervising their own children, that's a very big part of it too, we always encourage parental supervision of kids." Agriculture Minister Jackie Jarvis said she was confident the show had taken the right steps and had gone "above and beyond" the regulatory requirements. "You've got to remember parts of the Royal Show are equivalent to a large shopping mall where you have commercial providers," Ms Jarvis said. The State Government has injected $2.8 million into the Royal Show this year, some $2.2 million of which is earmarked to provide subsidised tickets. Tickets for children under 16 years old and concession card holders will be half price, and children under four will be let in for free.
