Television interview – ABC News Breakfast

Attorney-General’s portfolio Subjects: Gosling; Working with Children Checks; Closing the Gap. EMMA REBELLATO, HOST : First to the other end of the country with federal, state and territory Attorneys-General meeting in Darwin today. JAMES GLENDAY, HOST : They are, and a major overhaul of Working with Children Check systems to prevent abusers from going state to state undetected is going to be high on the agenda again.

The Federal Attorney-General, Michelle Rowland, joins us now from Darwin. Michelle, welcome back to our programme. MICHELLE ROWLAND, ATTORNEY-GENERAL : Good morning. : Now, we're going to get to what you're meeting about today.

I just wanted to ask you about one of your colleagues, though, because you are in Darwin and Darwin MP Luke Gosling has been charged with assault. I'm sure a lot of our viewers caught that news yesterday. Is he going to continue to be a special envoy in your Government? : I am aware of the charges that have been laid against Luke Gosling.

However, I know you will appreciate that as Attorney-General, I'm limited in what I can say, considering this matter is currently before the courts. That will run its course, it is due for hearing before the court on the 1st of September. So, I am applying the same principle that I apply to every other matter that I'm asked about, which is that I cannot comment on specific details or provide commentary around that. : I'm not asking you to comment on his case, just whether or not he should be holding a position in your Government given this is going on.

Has there been any discussions about having him stand down or maybe even just go on leave for a bit? : I understand your question, but again, in answering that, I would be giving commentary around this case. I'm happy to answer factual questions if you wish to pose them, but I won't be providing opinions or commentary around this matter. : Well, no doubt it's something the Prime Minister will take a look at.

Are you going to see Luke Gosling while you are in the Top End? Normally, when high profile members of a Government visit different parts of Australia, they do events with the local MPs. Are you going to be doing anything with Luke Gosling? : No, I haven't seen Luke.

I have been doing a number of matters with key stakeholders, including legal aid and other assistance services. As you indicated, the most important reason that I'm here is to chair the Standing Council of Attorneys-General today. : Ok, well, let's get into the agenda for that. Working with Children Checks has been on the agenda for Attorneys-General for some time because we've seen these horrific cases where predators have managed to slip through the cracks and go from state to state and continue to abuse children.

What agreements are you actually hoping to finalise today? : Well, you're absolutely right. This is a key component in keeping our most vulnerable safe, namely our children. I know your viewers will be horrified by the reports that we have seen, particularly in recent times, about terrible instances of abuse, particularly in childcare centres for children who are under the care of these particular individuals.

So, we have made substantial progress as a Commonwealth, working together with the states and territories to achieve meaningful reform in this area. We now have provisions for ‘banned in one, banned in all’, either passed or introduced by all the states and territories, and that has been done in less than a year. Today, I'm seeking agreement from my colleagues on three very important provisions.

The first is around those baseline standards for what kind of offences will preclude someone from holding a Working with Children Check, minimum national standards around other aspects of risk assessment that need to be taken into account, and information sharing between jurisdictions to ensure we have better national consistency. So, all of this is important work.

It is complex, it is detailed, it relies on IT systems that don't talk to one another, but we have made significant investments, both in the legislative side and also in the technical side, with the National Continuous Checking Capability. So, I'm optimistic and I look forward to these discussions and agreement with my colleagues today. : Has it been frustrating for you personally, just how long this takes?

Because, as you mentioned, it's not just getting an agreement from your colleagues, it's then making sure that computer systems are compatible, that searches actually happen as they should. Is it taking longer than you expected? : Well, I understand the frustration, and the frustration is not necessarily about me, it is about the community wanting to see action in this area.

I'd remind your viewers, this was actually a recommendation from around 2015 in the Royal Commission, and successive Governments did not take this on in the way that they should have, and that is a fact. But I'm pleased to say that working together, the Albanese Government, along with the states and territories, have achieved more in a year in reform in this area than over that entire period.

But there's much more to do, and I point to the fact also that right across Government, including with the Minister for Education, substantial reforms are being made in the childcare sector, making sure that we ban phones in those centres, for example, and shutting down those centres or holding funding back where they're not meeting those standards. So, there's a lot more to do, but I can ensure all of your viewers that this is the highest priority. : Michelle, just before we let you go, something outside of your portfolio, there's been more discussion this week about Closing the Gap targets.

Of course, the Garma Festival begins today and the Northern Territory recently passed this controversial child protection legislation that some people say is going to make it much harder to Close the Gap. This is outside your portfolio, but do you think this is something where the Northern Territory can be convinced to change its mind? : Well, actually, in terms of Closing the Gap targets, I am responsible for those which relate to adult and child incarceration rates for First Nations peoples.

I understand the concern that is around those Northern Territory laws whether they may in fact lead to more young First Nations people being displaced. But at the same time, it is important to make sure they are kept in safe environments. So, I understand the balancing act that is being done there, but I think at the end of it, recognising that all states and territories have committed to Closing the Gap targets is again something that I'll be reinforcing to colleagues today. : Michelle Rowland, thank you so much for joining us this morning. : Pleasure.