People Banned from Working With Children in Other States Cannot Be Registered in the ACT
Working with Vulnerable People (Background Checking) Amendment Bill 2025
Introduced by: Suzanne Orr (ALP)
Links to official parliament websites
Effects of this bill
If this bill passes, it means that:
People cannot register to work with children if they have a negative notice or a cancelled registration from another Australian state or territory
Applicants must provide a written statement disclosing any negative notices or cancelled registrations from other jurisdictions
The commissioner can automatically cancel the registration of anyone who becomes ineligible under these rules
Registered workers are banned from engaging in regulated activities involving children if they receive a negative notice from another jurisdiction
The commissioner can grant an exemption if a person's ineligibility is based on a non-corresponding offence; the person must show the ban is an unreasonable limit on their human rights
The commissioner can force applicants for exemptions to provide information; the commissioner can refuse the application if the person does not comply
The commissioner can issue a formal negative notice to people who are ineligible to register
People applying to work with children cannot be registered if they have had their registration cancelled or received a negative notice in another state or territory.
Applicants for registration to work with children must state in writing if they have ever received a negative notice or had their registration cancelled in another state or territory.
The commissioner can grant an exemption to let a person be registered despite a negative notice or cancellation from another state or territory. This applies if the commissioner is satisfied the original issue was for a minor offence and banning the person in the ACT would unreasonably limit their human rights.
The commissioner can order a person applying for an exemption to provide specific information. If the person does not provide this information, the commissioner can refuse to consider the application.
People already registered to work with children are automatically banned from those activities if they receive a negative notice or have their registration cancelled in another state or territory.
A person's registration is automatically cancelled if they are no longer eligible to be registered.
The commissioner must carry out a risk assessment and issue a negative notice if they find a person is no longer eligible to be registered to work with children.