Thursday, 13 November 2025

 Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Children, Minister for Disability) (12:21): I rise to update the house on the package of child safety bills introduced yesterday. I note a number of members today earlier mischaracterised a critical component of the child safety reforms, and I want to correct the record. The rapid review into child safety identified key actions for government to protect young children, and we are implementing every single recommendation. The review report noted that perpetrators of abuse will often move between sectors, chasing weak points to access vulnerable people and that some children may be at a higher risk of abuse, including children with disability or those who have experienced maltreatment. The review therefore made recommendation 8 – that a new shared intelligence and risk assessment capability be established. The review recommended that this intelligence and risk assessment capability bring child safety risk information into one place and that it should work together with other regulatory schemes so that there is a common foundation across social services, including disability, to better protect vulnerable people. Indeed the quality assessment and regulation division has noted that the most common sectors other than early childhood where workers are under investigation are the disability and NDIS and aged care sectors.

We are seeking to merge the functions of a number of the disability entities alongside the working with children check, which importantly will include the NDIS worker screening checks in this unit, the reportable conduct scheme and the child safe standards, into social services. As the rapid review recommended, we are seeking to join up information within the Social Services Regulator to ensure an effective child safety net in its place.

The most recent Commission for Children and Young People annual report found that in the reportable conduct scheme there has been an increase in the substantiation rate for allegations in the disability sector – rising from 15 per cent in 2023–24 to 44 per cent this year. The time to act is now. After child safety allegations came to light I received a letter co-signed by 14 disability organisations in Victoria. In the interests of time I cannot read their full letter, but I want to highlight their key issue:

In light of recent gaps identified in safeguarding schemes in the childcare sector, on behalf of the undersigned –

14 disability organisations –

I write to raise the issue of similar gaps in the disability sector …

We must act in the interests of child safety for all children in Victoria, and I look forward to working with others to that end.