{"id":34136,"date":"2025-08-06T01:03:33","date_gmt":"2025-08-05T15:03:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/?p=34136"},"modified":"2025-08-06T01:03:33","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T15:03:33","slug":"working-with-children-check-legislation-introduced-to-keep-kids-safe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/2025\/08\/06\/working-with-children-check-legislation-introduced-to-keep-kids-safe\/","title":{"rendered":"Working With Children Check legislation introduced to keep kids safe"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Minns Labor Government has today introduced legislation into Parliament to strengthen Working with Children Checks (WWCC) to better protect children from harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The legislation will ensure only the Office of the Children\u2019s Guardian \u2013 the state\u2019s independent child safety regulator \u2013 will be responsible for reviewing WWCC decisions, removing external appeal pathways through the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently, people with serious criminal histories \u2013 including offences involving children \u2013 can have decisions made by the Office of the Children\u2019s Guardian overturned. In some cases, this has allowed individuals who were disqualified to return to child-related work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This reform ensures decisions about who can work with children are made \u2013 and reviewed \u2013 by the body best placed to assess risk to children, the Office of the Children\u2019s Guardian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same change will be made for NDIS Worker Checks, strengthening the existing internal appeals process within the Office of the Children\u2019s Guardian to provide a more consistent and specialist approach to safety for people with disability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To close gaps in the system across the country, the NSW Government will also advocate for a national register of Working with Children Checks at National Cabinet\u2013 so parents can be confident that individuals working with children have been properly cleared \u2013 no matter which state or territory they\u2019ve previously worked in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NSW will work with the Commonwealth and other jurisdictions to integrate WWCC systems and close information gaps that offenders may exploit by moving interstate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The legislation is part of the Minns Labor Government\u2019s broader commitment to child safety \u2013 including recent reforms to lift standards and accountability in early childhood education and care, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n