Tuesday, 12 August 2025

 Jess WILSON (Kew) (14:09): My question is to the Premier. In 2022 the Victorian Ombudsman found that the powers of Victoria’s screening authority are among the most limited in Australia:

Reforms to the –

working with children check –

legislation are needed to bring Victoria in line with other states and territories, and to promote the rights of children and families enshrined in Victoria’s Human Rights Charter.

Three years later, why has the government refused to implement the Ombudsman’s recommendations?

 Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:10): I say this very clearly to the member for Kew: her statement in her question is incorrect, and as I said in my answer to the Leader of the Opposition’s question earlier, following work that I commissioned the Minister for Government Services and the Attorney-General to undertake in April, there have been changes to the working with children check. In addition to the work that the Minister for Children and her department had undertaken in responding to the Ombudsman’s report, as of this month we have changed the arrangements for the worker-screening unit to be able to expand the range of regulators that they can get information from in terms of determining the working with children check approvals process. So the member for Kew is incorrect. And I think, particularly when we understand that the system needs to be strengthened and that there is more work that needs to be done, it is incumbent upon all of us to participate in this public debate in a factual way.

 Jess WILSON (Kew) (14:11): Why did the government oppose legislation to implement this recommendation and close dangerous loopholes that are putting children at risk?

 Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:11): It is unclear to me what piece of legislation the member for Kew is referring to. However, if I can make an assumption that the member for Kew is referring to legislation that has been initiated by non-government members of Parliament, the government always reserves its right to ensure that any legislation that comes before the Parliament is drafted appropriately. I say this in the context that we have seen some reckless behaviour from the Leader of the Opposition in recent weeks, and we will not be taking at face value any legislation he brings to this place.