Portfolio — 31 July 2026

The Attorney-General's media releases on 31 July 2026 centred on two threads: chairing the Standing Council of Attorneys-General in Darwin to advance national Working with Children Check reform, and declining to comment on criminal charges facing a parliamentary colleague. The Working with Children Check package represents the portfolio's primary child-safety initiative of the window, establishing baseline offences for automatic disqualification alongside minimum standards for risk assessment and inter-jurisdictional information sharing [TA-260731-attorn-916cffdbb79d] [TA-260731-attorn-6253fa68f195].

**National Working with Children Check Reform**

The Standing Council of Attorneys-General endorsed an agreement to establish a national baseline of serious criminal offences that will automatically bar individuals from holding a Working with Children Check [TA-260731-attorn-916cffdbb79d]. The Attorney-General confirmed the reforms also include minimum national standards for risk assessment processes and defined types of information to be shared between jurisdictions to ensure consistent screening decisions [TA-260731-attorn-6253fa68f195].

The portfolio framed the package as a necessary evolution of the "banned in one, banned in all" principle, designed to close regulatory gaps and achieve national mutual recognition of Working with Children Checks [TA-260731-attorn-916cffdbb79d]. The Attorney-General chaired the Standing Council meeting in Darwin to advance national consistency on the checks [TA-260731-attorn-c11fcda72716].

**Gosling Charges**

The Attorney-General declined to comment on criminal charges facing the Member for Lingiari, Luke Gosling, citing that the matter is before the court [TA-260731-attorn-c11fcda72716].

**Synthesis**

The day's communications show the Attorney-General advancing a cooperative federalism reform through the Standing Council while maintaining strict sub judice discipline on a separate criminal matter involving a government MP. The Working with Children Check agreement signals the portfolio's intent to harmonise screening standards across jurisdictions, with the Darwin meeting providing the venue for inter-governmental consensus on baseline offences, risk assessment standards, and information sharing.