Skip Ribbon Commands
Skip to main content
MENU
Skip Navigation LinksHome Legislative Assembly

<b>LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY</b> - Signing ePetition

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY - Signing ePetition - Establishment of a national working with children check

To sign the ePetition, confirm you are a resident of New South Wales and enter your title, first name and last name. Once you click ‘submit’ you will have signed the ePetition and will be re-directed to the Legislative Assembly’s ‘ePetitions open for signature’ page

Establishment of a national working with children check

To the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly, We, the undersigned, draw to the attention of the House the urgent need for a fully nationalised Working With Children Check (WWCC). Progress on this reform has stalled due to the Standing Council of Attorneys-General, having been unable to agree on a single, unified set of rules. As a result, states and territories continue to operate under separate laws. This creates inconsistencies across jurisdictions and allows individuals to cross borders and commit crimes. These gaps place children at risk and must be addressed. Ten years ago, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse clearly recommended the creation of a nationally consistent WWCC system. A national scheme would provide uniform standards, real-time information sharing between states and territories, and stronger, coordinated safeguards for all children across Australia. The statistics are alarming. One in three girls and one in five boys in Australia will experience child sexual abuse. We cannot accept a system where a child’s level of protection depends on which state or territory they live in. Child safety must come before administrative differences or political delay. We therefore ask the Legislative Assembly to call on the Government to take immediate steps to implement a fully national Working With Children Check to ensure equal and effective protection for all children across Australia.

Name
Title
First name*
Family name *
Contact
Email*


The Parliament of New South Wales acknowledges and respects the traditional lands of all Aboriginal people, and pays respects to all Elders past and present. We acknowledge the Gadigal people as the traditional custodians of the land on which the Parliament of New South Wales stands.