By Andrew Brown and Lucinda Garbutt-Young in Canberra

The federal attorney-general has urged immediate action from all jurisdictions to keep kids safe through tougher Australian-wide rules, including in childcare centres and institutional settings. 

Michelle Rowland says she is confident a consensus can be reached at a meeting of state and territory attorneys-general in Darwin on Friday, as there is “more to do” across the nation to protect children from predators who have border-hopped.

The gathering will consider the need to implement national standards that would mean a person convicted of offences in one jurisdiction would be barred from holding a working-with-children check in other states.

”Every decent-minded Australian would be horrified by the instances that we’ve seen, even in recent times, of children being abused, particularly in childcare centres,” Ms Rowland said in a interview on Channel Nine’s Today.

“What I am looking forward to today is discussion and agreement to further those reforms, including establishing baselines for when people will be denied working-with-children checks.”

Other measures being considered are allowing non-compliant childcare centres to be shut down or withholding their funding, and banning mobile phones on-site, she said.

Nationally consistent checks have been on the agenda for top law officers following several high-profile cases of child abuse in childcare centres.

Attorneys-general are also set to consider what sort of information is shared between states and territories for the checks in order for the decisions to be consistent.

Minimum national standards for the checks process will also be on the agenda.

Ms Rowland said while reforms in the sector had been rolled out, further measures were necessary for child safety.

“While all states and territories have introduced ‘banned in one, banned in all’ legislation, there is more to do,” she said.

“Child safety is a top priority for all jurisdictions, which is why I am confident my state and territory colleagues will take the next big step … and agree on nationally consistent minimum standards and information sharing.”

States and territories agreed in 2025 on reform measures that bolstered screening arrangements for working-with-children checks.

They also agreed to mutual recognition between jurisdictions of negative notices handed to people and consistency in what would exclude someone from having the appropriate checks.

Ms Rowland said reforms needed to be carried through.

“All governments have made significant progress towards delivering a national approach to working-with-children checks,” she said.

“That’s why we must maintain the momentum and continue strengthening working-with-children check schemes across the country.”

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