Significant progress on national Working with Children Check reforms

Attorney-General’s portfolio The Albanese Labor Government is working with states and territories to strengthen Working with Children Check (WWCC) schemes across the country to help ensure Australian kids are safe, building on our 'banned in one, banned in all' reforms. At today’s Standing Council of Attorneys-General (SCAG) meeting, ministers agreed to: a national baseline of serious criminal offences that will automatically bar a person from being granted, or continuing to hold, a WWCC if they have been convicted of those offences. minimum national standards for WWCC risk assessment processes.

This will ensure jurisdictions consider comparable information and apply equivalent statutory tests to assess whether a person poses an unacceptable risk to children, and should therefore be prevented from obtaining or maintaining a WWCC. the types of information to be shared with state and territory WWCC screening units to support more informed and consistent decisions, which will strengthen national standards for risk assessment processes.

These reforms will strengthen the integrity of WWCC screening arrangements, close regulatory gaps between jurisdictions, and support future mutual recognition of WWCC decisions. The outcomes build on the significant progress governments have already made to strengthen WWCC schemes, including the introduction of ‘banned in one, banned in all’ legislation in all jurisdictions.

National Children's Commissioner Deb Tsorbaris also joined today’s SCAG meeting and highlighted the importance of a coordinated national approach to WWCCs in improving child safety outcomes. The Agreement to Deliver National Working with Children Check Reform was endorsed by SCAG in November 2025. It sets out six priority actions to strengthen child safety through a nationally coordinated approach to WWCCs.

This work forms part of the Albanese Government’s broader efforts to prevent harm and abuse, including through the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse 2021–2030. The Government is also developing a Second Action Plan under the National Strategy that continues critical work and addresses emerging challenges. Find out more at National Strategy Second Action Plan on the National Office for Child Safety website.

Quotes attributable to the Attorney-General, Hon Michelle Rowland MP: “Today, all governments took a significant step in helping keep our children safe, reaching agreement on key elements of the national Working with Children Check reforms. “Child safety is a top priority for all jurisdictions, and the agreements today will help close gaps, strengthen safeguards, and ensure Working with Children Check systems are nationally consistent.

“This builds on the important work already undertaken by the Commonwealth and states and territories, including the introduction of ‘banned in one, banned in all’ legislation in every jurisdiction. “These are complex reforms and I look forward to working closely with all jurisdictions to continue making progress towards national mutual recognition of Working with Children Checks.

“I thank my state and territory counterparts and ministers responsible for Working with Children Checks for their continued commitment to this important work.”