Latest news with #RobertFitzgerald
ABC News
a day ago
- Business
- ABC News
One quarter of employers now classify over 50s as older, with new data revealing ageism is growing in Australia
Bob Epps was at the peak of his career in senior management when he was unexpectedly made redundant in his mid-50s. The now 63-year-old picked up some contract work, but repeated rejection left a bitter taste as he tried to land a permanent position. "I would have applied for over 100 jobs in that C-suite, senior sort of GM and upwards level roles and I didn't even get one interview," he said. "I felt gutted." His experience is borne out in new data that paints a bleak picture for job-hunters aged over 50. A new report, jointly produced by the Australian Human Rights Commission and the Australian Human Resources Institute, found almost one quarter of HR professionals now classify workers aged 51 to 55 as "older". Just two years ago, only 10 per cent of recruiters took that view, suggesting many employers are sidelining experienced professionals in an economy suffering skills shortages. The report, Older and Young Workers: What do Employers Think? is the fifth national survey of employers and HR professionals. The report surveyed 138 employers across Australia, providing a snapshot of how workers were perceived, supported and included in Australian workplaces. Robert Fitzgerald, Australia's Age Discrimination Commissioner, who is a former Productivity Commissioner, said the country must acknowledge it is an aging society and embrace employing older workers. "The tragedy is so many employers still have biases and stereotypes, make recruitment decisions based on age and there is an in-built prejudice," he said. "We won't solve the productivity problem that Australia has [unless] we increase the labour force participation rate significantly. "This is now an economic and social imperative for the nation." The commissioner said the AHRC had received hundreds of complaints in relation to the Age Discrimination Act, mainly concerning age being used in employment and recruitment decisions, including workplace harassment aimed at encouraging retirement. Sarah McCann-Bartlett, chief executive of the Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI) said the report found many employers were reluctant to hire workers under 24 or over 50, which restricted their access to valuable skills and experience. "There is a very strong message that if we want to lift productivity in Australia, we do need to make better use of the talent that's out there and this means that we should be focusing on hiring on skills, not on assumptions around age and trying to keep experience in the workforce," she said. The report made 18 recommendations in recruitment, training, workplace inclusivity, health and wellbeing initiatives. These include calls for age-neutral job advertisements, audits of AI resume screeners for biases, and career-transition support for mid to late career employees. Leah Lambart, a career and interview coach, has clients in their 40s, who are already anticipating job search difficulties due to their age. "Years ago, I would get people calling who were worried about turning 60 and now they're calling saying, you know, 'I'm late 40s and I really need to get the next role because I don't want to be job searching in my 50s'," she said. While overt discrimination is rare, Ms Lambart has tips for those over 50, including modernising resumes, having a professional online presence and upskilling in technology. "Sometimes candidates will say to me, 'I'm being discriminated against my age,' but when I look at their resume, it looks like something out of the '70s and is 10-pages long," she said. Nicole Gorton, director at recruitment agency Robert Half, believes the perception of "older workers" by those hiring is largely driven by assumptions about technology adoption. "When I am speaking to organisations and hiring managers, they have a strong appetite for digital fluency," she said. "The adoption of technology, the adoption of AI, and when you haven't grown up with it and you have to learn it… there is a perception that the older, more experienced worker has not got some of those skill sets." Lisa Annese, CEO of Chief Executive Women, said she was genuinely surprised by the shifting perception of hirers. Ms Annese said it would have been helpful if the report included gender-specific data, noting women's experiences and unique biases relating to perimenopause, menopause and caring responsibilities. She said women aged in their 50s, were often in a "sweet spot" for progression. "It can be a liberating time in women's lives to really pursue their career," she said. "You often talk about women saying this is 'my time' now and that could still be [aged in their 50s] what I would consider quite a young age." For Bob Epps he has now settled into a chief executive role leading a taxi service in Cairns, proving he's still got some mileage left.
ABC News
10-07-2025
- ABC News
Australia at a 'turning point' for broken Working with Children Check system
What is it going to take to finally fix our broken child safety system? Sixty-nine children proven to have been abused by one man in childcare in Queensland and Italy wasn't enough. A care worker in South Australia proven to have sexually abused toddlers wasn't enough. Now there are horrific allegations of eight babies and toddlers being abused at a Melbourne childcare centre, with 1,200 children having to be tested for sexually transmitted infections. Federal and state politicians are lining up to acknowledge not enough has been done, and they will act "swiftly" to protect our children. But as a nation we have been here before on catastrophic child safety failures and we will be here again unless the rhetoric is finally replaced by action. Governments across the country are talking tough, trying to reassure parents and families they understand change is needed. But they already knew that. They were warned to act a decade ago and, in fact, given a set of instructions on exactly what to do. Ten years ago, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse recommended: Neither has happened. Robert Fitzgerald, one of the inquiry's commissioners, said that's shameful. He said the Working with Children Check system was just one measure to protect children, but a critical one. "There doesn't need to be any more reviews or any more inquiries, or any more royal commissions," he said. Since those recommendations were not followed, there has been case after case of abusers working with children. In 2015, Families SA worker Shannon McCoole was jailed for abusing children as young as 18 months old in his care. In 2021 a Victorian youth worker Alex Jones was jailed for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy, after using a government database to search for information on him. And in 2022, paedophile Ashley Griffith was charged with sexually abusing 69 children in childcare in Queensland and Italy over two decades. He's also facing charges of abusing a further 23 children in NSW. The ABC understands some of the families of Griffith's victims have met with at least one attorney-general to lobby for a national WWCC system. These families believe the current system is broken, with not enough checks or information sharing. They say a national system could have red-flagged Griffith years before he was charged with more than 1,600 child abuse offences over 20 years because complaints made against him were not shared between agencies. Griffiths's offending is now the subject of multiple reviews, one of which last week found Queensland's WWCC (known as a Blue Card) gave "legitimacy" to predators because it lulled people into a false sense of security. A 2025 update report from the lead agency on national reform of the WWCC, the National Office of Child Safety, shows there have been years of commitments, reviews, feasibility studies and scoping. But still no national system. The Australian Childhood Foundation's survivor advocate Emma Hakansson hopes the allegations before the courts in Victoria will prove to be a "Port Arthur" moment. A moment in time when politicians say "never again". "Because if this won't lead to change, what will? "Public trust in the Working with Children Check is lost. "Mandatory training for WWCC registration and stricter rules around who can receive a check must be implemented should that trust ever return." Working with Children checks do not require mandatory training. It's an online application based on a criminal record check. The scope of what the check takes into account depends on where you live in Australia. The ABC's reporting has exposed failures in the system in virtually every jurisdiction. In Victoria people under police investigation can continue to work with children. Premier Jacinta Allan, who was almost in tears as she revealed the allegations against Melbourne childcare worker Joshua Dale Brown last week, has said she is angry and sickened by the alleged offences that are before the courts. But she and her predecessor Daniel Andrews have had ample opportunity for more than six long years to act. In 2019, the then children's commissioner Liana Buchanan warned that Victoria's WWCC laws stopped her from passing on concerning information. In 2022 the Victorian ombudsman asked the state government to urgently change the laws. The report tabled to parliament reads like a horrifying thriller. Particularly the realisation of Working with Children Check Unit workers that Victoria's laws stopped them from cancelling the check of former youth worker Alex Jones who was being investigated for raping a 13-year-old boy. His check remained valid, despite allegations he'd assaulted children interstate, had accessed child abuse material, and was actively grooming children. In the report the director of WWCC Victoria observed: "[It was] frustrating and concerning. … [I remember saying], 'This guy is desperate. He wants to get access to children. "We have to do something here.' We had no other trigger [to reassess his clearance]," the director said. The director of the WWCC was eventually able to cancel Jones's credentials based on a dishonesty offence. It took months. In the wake of the latest childcare abuse charges in Victoria, experts are warning parents to listen to their instincts, and to speak up. That's exactly what Louise Van Loon did — before the system worked against her, and she was taken to court. She followed guidelines from the Victorian children's commissioner and told schools her alleged abuser had been arrested. The police response was to take out an intervention order against her. Do you know more? Contact Josie Taylor on secure email josiegtaylor@ Louise Van Loon is among those now calling for parents and carers to be informed if a WWCC holder has been arrested in relation to child sexual offences — even if they're not charged. A national system could allow more critical information like this to be shared: allegations, red flags from child protection or police intelligence reports. Any information that helps protect children, such as in the Northern Territory where "all available information relating to the individual" can be considered when granting a WWCC. In April this year the ABC asked the Victorian government what had been done since the ombudsman's 2022 damning report. Nothing, they said. It was only when the ABC asked questions about it that Premier Allan ordered a review of her state's WWCC, in April this year. That review has prompted one minor change: allowing Education Department prohibition notices to be able to be considered by the WWCC unit, to take effect in August. It wasn't until the Melbourne childcare allegations were made public that Premier Jacinta Allan announced she'd fast-track a register of child care workers and bring forward a ban of personal devices in centres from September. She appointed former South Australian premier Jay Weatherill to lead a review into childcare, after he led SA during a horrific failure of child protection. Ms Allan knows the public is demanding action and has already revealed she will adopt all the recommendations of Mr Weatherill's review, long before he is due to finish it in August. It's a stark contrast to 2022 when the Victorian government's response to the ombudsman's report was to wait for "national reform". How is that national reform going? Shockingly slowly. And where is the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on this issue and his response to the National Children's Commissioner's repeated plea to make child safety a priority? He is yet to speak publicly on the childcare charges, or address the lack of a national Working with Children Check. This isn't the moment to flinch.
The Advertiser
04-07-2025
- Politics
- The Advertiser
It is shameful governments waited so long to roll out childcare safety measures
Australians have rightly been outraged and dismayed this week following shocking revelations about babies and toddlers allegedly being sexually abused in childcare centres in Melbourne. In response, we have heard ministers in the Australian and Victorian governments commit to implementing some long-delayed measures that had been recommended by various royal commissions and inquiries of the past. While this is a positive outcome, there is much more to do to build safer childcare in this country. Those royal commissions and inquiries have told us what is needed to keep children safe. Many of us are now asking why it has taken so long for governments across the federation to act on serious child safeguarding gaps? The risks to child safety have been known for decades, and the evidence-based recommendations have been sitting on a shelf. Over the last few years, we have been collectively horrified by the notorious case of Ashley Griffith who abused children in childcare centres in Queensland and NSW. And now we have these terrible allegations coming out of Melbourne. How did we end up in this place where governments knew what to do to help fix the problems and keep our children safe, but did not act? To answer these questions, it is necessary to understand that the federation structure splits responsibilities across different levels of government, and that there is no one accountable for child safety and wellbeing in the Australian government. In contrast, we have had ministers for women for decades, and "women and women's safety" is listed as a key priority for national cabinet, which is where the prime minister and state and territory leaders work together on "issues of national significance". The complete absence of visibility and accountability for child safety and wellbeing at the national level has allowed the risks to remain unaddressed and the solutions not implemented. This is despite endless media exposés and tragic stories of abuse of children. We cannot allow the federation to be an excuse for not acting urgently on the safety and wellbeing of our children. The latest scandal is taking place in childcare centres, but this is not just an issue for the early childhood education and care sector. The failure to prioritise child safety and wellbeing and implement child safeguarding measures affects all children everywhere: in schools, after-school care, out-of-home care, youth detention, sporting clubs and holiday programs. Anywhere you find children, there will be child safety risks that must be addressed. Former royal commissioner Robert Fitzgerald said this week that it was "shameful" that we have failed to implement the detailed recommendations to strengthen child safety from a decade ago. He is correct, and now we need to face up to why this has been allowed to happen. It is shameful that the advice of experts continues to be ignored and the risks to the safety and wellbeing of our children are neglected. We don't need more royal commissions and inquiries. We know what to do. Core recommendations in our Help Way Earlier! report tabled in Parliament last year were about governments across our federation working together on reform and making child wellbeing a national priority, at national cabinet. READ MORE: Right now, there is an absence of national leadership and co-ordination. Child wellbeing is not a priority for national cabinet, and there is no cabinet minister for children. These gaps have allowed a lack of accountability to persist, leading to critical reforms not being implemented. For our youngest children, we need a childcare industry with stronger regulation, independent monitoring and oversight, and comprehensive enforceable child safeguarding measures. Everyone involved needs to make child safety their number one priority, from the boardroom to the sandpit. This week has shown that the public wants more than just cheaper childcare. We demand safer childcare. And importantly, our children, our youngest citizens, must not be sidelined and kept waiting for critical reforms that we know will help to keep them safe. The new term of Parliament is the opportunity to demonstrate to the Australian public that child safety and wellbeing will be a national priority from now on. Australians have rightly been outraged and dismayed this week following shocking revelations about babies and toddlers allegedly being sexually abused in childcare centres in Melbourne. In response, we have heard ministers in the Australian and Victorian governments commit to implementing some long-delayed measures that had been recommended by various royal commissions and inquiries of the past. While this is a positive outcome, there is much more to do to build safer childcare in this country. Those royal commissions and inquiries have told us what is needed to keep children safe. Many of us are now asking why it has taken so long for governments across the federation to act on serious child safeguarding gaps? The risks to child safety have been known for decades, and the evidence-based recommendations have been sitting on a shelf. Over the last few years, we have been collectively horrified by the notorious case of Ashley Griffith who abused children in childcare centres in Queensland and NSW. And now we have these terrible allegations coming out of Melbourne. How did we end up in this place where governments knew what to do to help fix the problems and keep our children safe, but did not act? To answer these questions, it is necessary to understand that the federation structure splits responsibilities across different levels of government, and that there is no one accountable for child safety and wellbeing in the Australian government. In contrast, we have had ministers for women for decades, and "women and women's safety" is listed as a key priority for national cabinet, which is where the prime minister and state and territory leaders work together on "issues of national significance". The complete absence of visibility and accountability for child safety and wellbeing at the national level has allowed the risks to remain unaddressed and the solutions not implemented. This is despite endless media exposés and tragic stories of abuse of children. We cannot allow the federation to be an excuse for not acting urgently on the safety and wellbeing of our children. The latest scandal is taking place in childcare centres, but this is not just an issue for the early childhood education and care sector. The failure to prioritise child safety and wellbeing and implement child safeguarding measures affects all children everywhere: in schools, after-school care, out-of-home care, youth detention, sporting clubs and holiday programs. Anywhere you find children, there will be child safety risks that must be addressed. Former royal commissioner Robert Fitzgerald said this week that it was "shameful" that we have failed to implement the detailed recommendations to strengthen child safety from a decade ago. He is correct, and now we need to face up to why this has been allowed to happen. It is shameful that the advice of experts continues to be ignored and the risks to the safety and wellbeing of our children are neglected. We don't need more royal commissions and inquiries. We know what to do. Core recommendations in our Help Way Earlier! report tabled in Parliament last year were about governments across our federation working together on reform and making child wellbeing a national priority, at national cabinet. READ MORE: Right now, there is an absence of national leadership and co-ordination. Child wellbeing is not a priority for national cabinet, and there is no cabinet minister for children. These gaps have allowed a lack of accountability to persist, leading to critical reforms not being implemented. For our youngest children, we need a childcare industry with stronger regulation, independent monitoring and oversight, and comprehensive enforceable child safeguarding measures. Everyone involved needs to make child safety their number one priority, from the boardroom to the sandpit. This week has shown that the public wants more than just cheaper childcare. We demand safer childcare. And importantly, our children, our youngest citizens, must not be sidelined and kept waiting for critical reforms that we know will help to keep them safe. The new term of Parliament is the opportunity to demonstrate to the Australian public that child safety and wellbeing will be a national priority from now on. Australians have rightly been outraged and dismayed this week following shocking revelations about babies and toddlers allegedly being sexually abused in childcare centres in Melbourne. In response, we have heard ministers in the Australian and Victorian governments commit to implementing some long-delayed measures that had been recommended by various royal commissions and inquiries of the past. While this is a positive outcome, there is much more to do to build safer childcare in this country. Those royal commissions and inquiries have told us what is needed to keep children safe. Many of us are now asking why it has taken so long for governments across the federation to act on serious child safeguarding gaps? The risks to child safety have been known for decades, and the evidence-based recommendations have been sitting on a shelf. Over the last few years, we have been collectively horrified by the notorious case of Ashley Griffith who abused children in childcare centres in Queensland and NSW. And now we have these terrible allegations coming out of Melbourne. How did we end up in this place where governments knew what to do to help fix the problems and keep our children safe, but did not act? To answer these questions, it is necessary to understand that the federation structure splits responsibilities across different levels of government, and that there is no one accountable for child safety and wellbeing in the Australian government. In contrast, we have had ministers for women for decades, and "women and women's safety" is listed as a key priority for national cabinet, which is where the prime minister and state and territory leaders work together on "issues of national significance". The complete absence of visibility and accountability for child safety and wellbeing at the national level has allowed the risks to remain unaddressed and the solutions not implemented. This is despite endless media exposés and tragic stories of abuse of children. We cannot allow the federation to be an excuse for not acting urgently on the safety and wellbeing of our children. The latest scandal is taking place in childcare centres, but this is not just an issue for the early childhood education and care sector. The failure to prioritise child safety and wellbeing and implement child safeguarding measures affects all children everywhere: in schools, after-school care, out-of-home care, youth detention, sporting clubs and holiday programs. Anywhere you find children, there will be child safety risks that must be addressed. Former royal commissioner Robert Fitzgerald said this week that it was "shameful" that we have failed to implement the detailed recommendations to strengthen child safety from a decade ago. He is correct, and now we need to face up to why this has been allowed to happen. It is shameful that the advice of experts continues to be ignored and the risks to the safety and wellbeing of our children are neglected. We don't need more royal commissions and inquiries. We know what to do. Core recommendations in our Help Way Earlier! report tabled in Parliament last year were about governments across our federation working together on reform and making child wellbeing a national priority, at national cabinet. READ MORE: Right now, there is an absence of national leadership and co-ordination. Child wellbeing is not a priority for national cabinet, and there is no cabinet minister for children. These gaps have allowed a lack of accountability to persist, leading to critical reforms not being implemented. For our youngest children, we need a childcare industry with stronger regulation, independent monitoring and oversight, and comprehensive enforceable child safeguarding measures. Everyone involved needs to make child safety their number one priority, from the boardroom to the sandpit. This week has shown that the public wants more than just cheaper childcare. We demand safer childcare. And importantly, our children, our youngest citizens, must not be sidelined and kept waiting for critical reforms that we know will help to keep them safe. The new term of Parliament is the opportunity to demonstrate to the Australian public that child safety and wellbeing will be a national priority from now on. Australians have rightly been outraged and dismayed this week following shocking revelations about babies and toddlers allegedly being sexually abused in childcare centres in Melbourne. In response, we have heard ministers in the Australian and Victorian governments commit to implementing some long-delayed measures that had been recommended by various royal commissions and inquiries of the past. While this is a positive outcome, there is much more to do to build safer childcare in this country. Those royal commissions and inquiries have told us what is needed to keep children safe. Many of us are now asking why it has taken so long for governments across the federation to act on serious child safeguarding gaps? The risks to child safety have been known for decades, and the evidence-based recommendations have been sitting on a shelf. Over the last few years, we have been collectively horrified by the notorious case of Ashley Griffith who abused children in childcare centres in Queensland and NSW. And now we have these terrible allegations coming out of Melbourne. How did we end up in this place where governments knew what to do to help fix the problems and keep our children safe, but did not act? To answer these questions, it is necessary to understand that the federation structure splits responsibilities across different levels of government, and that there is no one accountable for child safety and wellbeing in the Australian government. In contrast, we have had ministers for women for decades, and "women and women's safety" is listed as a key priority for national cabinet, which is where the prime minister and state and territory leaders work together on "issues of national significance". The complete absence of visibility and accountability for child safety and wellbeing at the national level has allowed the risks to remain unaddressed and the solutions not implemented. This is despite endless media exposés and tragic stories of abuse of children. We cannot allow the federation to be an excuse for not acting urgently on the safety and wellbeing of our children. The latest scandal is taking place in childcare centres, but this is not just an issue for the early childhood education and care sector. The failure to prioritise child safety and wellbeing and implement child safeguarding measures affects all children everywhere: in schools, after-school care, out-of-home care, youth detention, sporting clubs and holiday programs. Anywhere you find children, there will be child safety risks that must be addressed. Former royal commissioner Robert Fitzgerald said this week that it was "shameful" that we have failed to implement the detailed recommendations to strengthen child safety from a decade ago. He is correct, and now we need to face up to why this has been allowed to happen. It is shameful that the advice of experts continues to be ignored and the risks to the safety and wellbeing of our children are neglected. We don't need more royal commissions and inquiries. We know what to do. Core recommendations in our Help Way Earlier! report tabled in Parliament last year were about governments across our federation working together on reform and making child wellbeing a national priority, at national cabinet. READ MORE: Right now, there is an absence of national leadership and co-ordination. Child wellbeing is not a priority for national cabinet, and there is no cabinet minister for children. These gaps have allowed a lack of accountability to persist, leading to critical reforms not being implemented. For our youngest children, we need a childcare industry with stronger regulation, independent monitoring and oversight, and comprehensive enforceable child safeguarding measures. Everyone involved needs to make child safety their number one priority, from the boardroom to the sandpit. This week has shown that the public wants more than just cheaper childcare. We demand safer childcare. And importantly, our children, our youngest citizens, must not be sidelined and kept waiting for critical reforms that we know will help to keep them safe. The new term of Parliament is the opportunity to demonstrate to the Australian public that child safety and wellbeing will be a national priority from now on.
SBS Australia
04-07-2025
- SBS Australia
Midday News Bulletin 4 July 2025
Calls for changes to working with children checks Qantas to contact millions impacted by cyber hack Three Aussie hopefuls through to round three Wimbledon A former royal commissioner has hit out at governments for failing to act sooner on a national regime for working with children checks. After it was revealed a Melbourne childcare worker was charged with more than 70 sex offences, state and federal ministers have been rushing to fast-track sector reforms. 26-year-old Joshua Dale Brown had a valid 'working with children' clearance when he allegedly abused eight children under the age of two at a Point Cook facility in Melbourne's southwest. In 2015, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse called on the federal government to facilitate a national model for working with children checks. Robert Fitzgerald, one of five members of the royal commission, says the recommendation remained unfulfilled. Federal Labor MP Dan Repacholi told Channel Nine that more must be done. "It's absolutely sickening what's happened down here in Victoria, and as Jason Clare admitted yesterday, there is more that should have been done a little bit quicker, and we're acting on that. We're working heavily with the state government, so both Victoria and New South Wales governments, we support the changes they're putting in, and we'll continue to work with them and make sure that we are putting those kids front and centre to make sure that they're getting the best care they can, and the best education they can as well.' Qantas says next week it will contact the six million customers whose data was hacked into by cyber criminals, informing them of exactly what type of information was collected. After revealing the hack earlier this week, Qantas assured customers the breach did not expose sensitive information such as bank details, passport numbers, or frequent flyer points. The company says the group responsible for the incident remains unclear and they have not received a ransom request. Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson says the airline is working with government authorities to investigate the incident. "I know this data breach is a serious concern. I know the stress that it has created for many, many millions of customers that we've had. And so right up front, I want to say, we take this seriously, and we are going to do everything that we can to communicate transparently to you and also support you through this process." The Federal Emergency Management Minister has announced an additional $45 million has been put in a flood recovery package for western Queensland, with support for New South Wales primary producers. Jointly funded by the state and federal governments, the cash injection is set to support primary producers, tourism operators and small businesses impacted by the flooding. The additional support will offer eligible primary producers grants of up to $75,000 to assist with clean up, repairs, replacing lost or damaged assets, and restocking and replanting. Kristy McBain says recovery will be a long-haul effort. "We want to make sure that the three levels of government are working together seamlessly to help the community to recover from what's been a devastating event. But this has been the cumulative and compounding impact of a number of rain and flooding events in the mid north coast and the Hunter region. We recognize that primary producers in particular have been doing it tough, and that they will need that additional support to replace, plant and equipment to work on fencing and to replace livestock." New South Wales Police have arrested a 63-year-old woman at Sydney Airport after she allegedly defrauded a 77-year-old woman using a 'blessing scam'. Th elderly Chinese woman is the latest victim of a scam targeting people of Asian background, with more than 80 incidents reported since 2023 and over $3 million stolen. The scam involves convincing people their wealth needs to blessed and encouraging them to hand over large sums of money and valuables. The items are then swapped for items of no value and the victim is told not to open the bag for an extended period of time. A police strike force has been running since April, investigating alleged blessing scams across Sydney since 2023. Consumer regulator the ACCC, is warning consumers about online 'ghost stores' - which claim to be small, local operators with high quality products - when they're actually based overseas, selling products from third-party suppliers. The regulator says they typically include the name of an Australian town or suburb in their brand or website address, claim to be closing, adding a sense of urgency, and use targeted paid advertising on social media platforms. They can also use A-I generated images, have no or limited contact details, a return address different to the shipping one, and may have recently created social media pages. ACCC Deputy chair Catriona Lowe says they're hoping to work with platforms where ads are appearing. "So, one of the things that we've done is written to Meta and we've asked them to come back to us and talk to us to tell us what they're doing to make sure these ads on their platform can be picked up and stamped out, similarly, many of these stores are using Shopify and we've similarly written to Shopify." To tennis now, Alex de Minaur and Daria Kasatkina, Australia's biggest Wimbledon hopes, have fought their way into the third round of Wimbledon. In perfect sunny conditions, Alex de Minaur brushed off a poor first set against French qualifier Arthur Cazaux, before showing some signs of his best tennis in a 4-6 6-2 6-4 6-0 victory. Then, after his fellow Sydneysider Aleksandar Vukic was defeated by world Number 1 Jannik Sinner, the other national Number 1, Kasatkina, defeated old Romanian rival Irina-Camelia Begu. So, there'll be at least three Australians in the last 32, with Jordan Thompson having made it into the third round on Wednesday.
The Advertiser
03-07-2025
- The Advertiser
'Shameful': national work-with-kids system long overdue
A former royal commissioner has rebuked governments for dragging their feet on creating a national regime for working with children checks. State and federal ministers have been scrambling to fast-track reforms to Australia's childcare sector after it was revealed on Tuesday a Melbourne carer was charged with more than 70 sex offences. Joshua Dale Brown allegedly abused eight children aged under two at a Point Cook facility in the city's southwest from April 2022 to January 2023. The 26-year-old, who had a valid working with children clearance, was not known to police or subject to any complaints before his arrest in May. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse called on the federal government in 2015 to "facilitate a national model" for working with children checks. Robert Fitzgerald, one of five members of the royal commission, said the recommendation remained unfulfilled. "My view is that is shameful," the now-age discrimination commissioner told AAP. "Ten years on, that job should have been completed and the fact that it isn't means there are gaps in our child safeguarding regime." Every state and territory maintains separate working with children schemes with different rules and requirements. Victoria, Queensland and NSW have all committed to reviewing or tightening up their regimes. Uniform schemes would not completely negate the risk of child sexual abuse but would be an important first step, Mr Fitzgerald argued. A 2022 Victorian ombudsman report exposed "serious flaws" in the state's scheme after former Melbourne City Mission worker Alexander Jones was convicted of sexually assaulting a child in 2018. Jones was investigated for multiple alleged sexual offences in NSW but granted a permit in Victoria because his national police check was clean, as he had not been charged. It remains the case that people under investigation for serious offences can hold a working with children check in Victoria. Only criminal charges or a regulatory finding can lead to it being revoked. Strengthening working with children checks will also be discussed at a meeting of state and federal attorneys-general in August. Victoria's Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn said national reform work was "frustratingly slow". Federal Education Minister Jason Clare described the system as complicated but conceded the reforms have taken "too bloody long". Fellow senior frontbencher Clare O'Neil said she didn't have a good answer for why the royal commission's recommendations had been left on the shelf. "A lot of these predators would pass a working with children check," she said. The crisis has also cast a spotlight on educator-to-child ratios across the country. The ratios do not require more than one carer to be around a child or group at any given time, unlike the Netherlands' "four eyes" principle. A father whose two children attended the Point Cook childcare centre wants CCTV installed throughout the facility and questioned the lack of staff supervision. "There should also be two people there at all times," said Satbir, who didn't want his surname included. NSW has flagged a trial of CCTV cameras in centres, while an urgent Victorian review is looking at making the technology mandatory. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 A former royal commissioner has rebuked governments for dragging their feet on creating a national regime for working with children checks. State and federal ministers have been scrambling to fast-track reforms to Australia's childcare sector after it was revealed on Tuesday a Melbourne carer was charged with more than 70 sex offences. Joshua Dale Brown allegedly abused eight children aged under two at a Point Cook facility in the city's southwest from April 2022 to January 2023. The 26-year-old, who had a valid working with children clearance, was not known to police or subject to any complaints before his arrest in May. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse called on the federal government in 2015 to "facilitate a national model" for working with children checks. Robert Fitzgerald, one of five members of the royal commission, said the recommendation remained unfulfilled. "My view is that is shameful," the now-age discrimination commissioner told AAP. "Ten years on, that job should have been completed and the fact that it isn't means there are gaps in our child safeguarding regime." Every state and territory maintains separate working with children schemes with different rules and requirements. Victoria, Queensland and NSW have all committed to reviewing or tightening up their regimes. Uniform schemes would not completely negate the risk of child sexual abuse but would be an important first step, Mr Fitzgerald argued. A 2022 Victorian ombudsman report exposed "serious flaws" in the state's scheme after former Melbourne City Mission worker Alexander Jones was convicted of sexually assaulting a child in 2018. Jones was investigated for multiple alleged sexual offences in NSW but granted a permit in Victoria because his national police check was clean, as he had not been charged. It remains the case that people under investigation for serious offences can hold a working with children check in Victoria. Only criminal charges or a regulatory finding can lead to it being revoked. Strengthening working with children checks will also be discussed at a meeting of state and federal attorneys-general in August. Victoria's Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn said national reform work was "frustratingly slow". Federal Education Minister Jason Clare described the system as complicated but conceded the reforms have taken "too bloody long". Fellow senior frontbencher Clare O'Neil said she didn't have a good answer for why the royal commission's recommendations had been left on the shelf. "A lot of these predators would pass a working with children check," she said. The crisis has also cast a spotlight on educator-to-child ratios across the country. The ratios do not require more than one carer to be around a child or group at any given time, unlike the Netherlands' "four eyes" principle. A father whose two children attended the Point Cook childcare centre wants CCTV installed throughout the facility and questioned the lack of staff supervision. "There should also be two people there at all times," said Satbir, who didn't want his surname included. NSW has flagged a trial of CCTV cameras in centres, while an urgent Victorian review is looking at making the technology mandatory. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 A former royal commissioner has rebuked governments for dragging their feet on creating a national regime for working with children checks. State and federal ministers have been scrambling to fast-track reforms to Australia's childcare sector after it was revealed on Tuesday a Melbourne carer was charged with more than 70 sex offences. Joshua Dale Brown allegedly abused eight children aged under two at a Point Cook facility in the city's southwest from April 2022 to January 2023. The 26-year-old, who had a valid working with children clearance, was not known to police or subject to any complaints before his arrest in May. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse called on the federal government in 2015 to "facilitate a national model" for working with children checks. Robert Fitzgerald, one of five members of the royal commission, said the recommendation remained unfulfilled. "My view is that is shameful," the now-age discrimination commissioner told AAP. "Ten years on, that job should have been completed and the fact that it isn't means there are gaps in our child safeguarding regime." Every state and territory maintains separate working with children schemes with different rules and requirements. Victoria, Queensland and NSW have all committed to reviewing or tightening up their regimes. Uniform schemes would not completely negate the risk of child sexual abuse but would be an important first step, Mr Fitzgerald argued. A 2022 Victorian ombudsman report exposed "serious flaws" in the state's scheme after former Melbourne City Mission worker Alexander Jones was convicted of sexually assaulting a child in 2018. Jones was investigated for multiple alleged sexual offences in NSW but granted a permit in Victoria because his national police check was clean, as he had not been charged. It remains the case that people under investigation for serious offences can hold a working with children check in Victoria. Only criminal charges or a regulatory finding can lead to it being revoked. Strengthening working with children checks will also be discussed at a meeting of state and federal attorneys-general in August. Victoria's Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn said national reform work was "frustratingly slow". Federal Education Minister Jason Clare described the system as complicated but conceded the reforms have taken "too bloody long". Fellow senior frontbencher Clare O'Neil said she didn't have a good answer for why the royal commission's recommendations had been left on the shelf. "A lot of these predators would pass a working with children check," she said. The crisis has also cast a spotlight on educator-to-child ratios across the country. The ratios do not require more than one carer to be around a child or group at any given time, unlike the Netherlands' "four eyes" principle. A father whose two children attended the Point Cook childcare centre wants CCTV installed throughout the facility and questioned the lack of staff supervision. "There should also be two people there at all times," said Satbir, who didn't want his surname included. NSW has flagged a trial of CCTV cameras in centres, while an urgent Victorian review is looking at making the technology mandatory. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 A former royal commissioner has rebuked governments for dragging their feet on creating a national regime for working with children checks. State and federal ministers have been scrambling to fast-track reforms to Australia's childcare sector after it was revealed on Tuesday a Melbourne carer was charged with more than 70 sex offences. Joshua Dale Brown allegedly abused eight children aged under two at a Point Cook facility in the city's southwest from April 2022 to January 2023. The 26-year-old, who had a valid working with children clearance, was not known to police or subject to any complaints before his arrest in May. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse called on the federal government in 2015 to "facilitate a national model" for working with children checks. Robert Fitzgerald, one of five members of the royal commission, said the recommendation remained unfulfilled. "My view is that is shameful," the now-age discrimination commissioner told AAP. "Ten years on, that job should have been completed and the fact that it isn't means there are gaps in our child safeguarding regime." Every state and territory maintains separate working with children schemes with different rules and requirements. Victoria, Queensland and NSW have all committed to reviewing or tightening up their regimes. Uniform schemes would not completely negate the risk of child sexual abuse but would be an important first step, Mr Fitzgerald argued. A 2022 Victorian ombudsman report exposed "serious flaws" in the state's scheme after former Melbourne City Mission worker Alexander Jones was convicted of sexually assaulting a child in 2018. Jones was investigated for multiple alleged sexual offences in NSW but granted a permit in Victoria because his national police check was clean, as he had not been charged. It remains the case that people under investigation for serious offences can hold a working with children check in Victoria. Only criminal charges or a regulatory finding can lead to it being revoked. Strengthening working with children checks will also be discussed at a meeting of state and federal attorneys-general in August. Victoria's Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn said national reform work was "frustratingly slow". Federal Education Minister Jason Clare described the system as complicated but conceded the reforms have taken "too bloody long". Fellow senior frontbencher Clare O'Neil said she didn't have a good answer for why the royal commission's recommendations had been left on the shelf. "A lot of these predators would pass a working with children check," she said. The crisis has also cast a spotlight on educator-to-child ratios across the country. The ratios do not require more than one carer to be around a child or group at any given time, unlike the Netherlands' "four eyes" principle. A father whose two children attended the Point Cook childcare centre wants CCTV installed throughout the facility and questioned the lack of staff supervision. "There should also be two people there at all times," said Satbir, who didn't want his surname included. NSW has flagged a trial of CCTV cameras in centres, while an urgent Victorian review is looking at making the technology mandatory. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
