Child Safe Organisation Bill 2024 - Principal Commissioner Luke Twyford statement

QFCC Principal Commissioner Luke Twyford's opening statement before the Community Support and Services Committee about the Child Safe Organisations Bill 2024

I welcome this significant Bill. It has been a long time coming, and there has been extensive expert debate and consultation on its details. 

It is time to implement a model for child safe standards and a reportable conduct scheme.

When news breaks that a child has been sexually abused, we all feel outrage and concern, and we ask what more could have been done – the implementation of a child safe organisation system in Queensland is a clear answer to this question.

It has now been seven years since the royal commission recommended this nationally consistent scheme, and Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia have all implemented these systems. 

In 2017, the royal commission reported a sobering reality that tens of thousands of children experienced abuse in almost every type of institution where children lived or attended. 

While much work has occurred following the royal commission, child sexual abuse is still occurring, and it has a devastating impact. 

The Australian Child Maltreatment Study found that over 23 per cent of Australians had experienced child sexual abuse, and for more than three quarters of these children the abuse was experienced in repeated instances. The ABS Personal Safety Survey estimates that there are 195,000 people in Australia who were sexually abused within institutions before the age of 15. In the last month, Queensland papers have continued to report on serious child sexual abuse that has occurred in our community. 

It is time to introduce a new protection scheme. 

The child safe standard system created by this Bill will implement protective factors across our society that prevent opportunities for abuse and maltreatment, and the reportable conduct scheme will implement a clear process to identify and respond to concerning behaviour that may not yet reach a criminal threshold. Together with police enforcement of crimes and the blue card scheme this child safe organisation system will create a more effective and proactive, protective safeguard for Queensland children. 

Chair, Queensland has a long history of leadership in designing and running systems to prevent child sexual abuse and exploitation – we can be proud of champion Queensland pioneers such as:

• Bruce and Denise Morcombe, who have built the nation leading ‘Australia’s Biggest Child Safety Lesson’ and ‘Brighter Futures’ program through their remarkable Daniel Morcombe Foundation
• Hetty Johnson who established Bravehearts and remains a strong advocate through the National Office of Child Safety
• Bob Atkinson who was a Commissioner of the royal commission and remains a tireless advocate for the rights of victim-survivors
• Jon Rouse and his internationally leading work to uncover online child exploitation at the Brisbane-based Australian Centre to Counter Child Sexual Exploitation. 

These are all examples of how Queensland, and Queenslanders, have shaped systems to better protect our children. It is time for Queensland to build on this legacy by implementing a fully operational child safe organisation scheme, and it is my hope and expectation that this Bill receives universal support and is passed in this term of Parliament. 

I confirm that the Commission is ready to receive the responsibility of running these schemes, and we are committed to its successful implementation for the benefit of all Queensland children. 

For media information contact:
Kirstine O’Donnell | Queensland Family and Child Commission
Phone:  0404 971 164
Email:   media@qfcc.qld.gov.au