November 13, 2018
Convicted murderers and rapists will be automatically disqualified from obtaining a Blue Card under reforms introduced into State Parliament on Tuesday.
The reforms will also disqualify people convicted of bestiality, child kidnapping, child kidnapping for ransom, child stealing or the abduction of a child under 16 from holding a Blue Card.
Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath said the State Government was taking the safety of children seriously.
“Blue Cards are one of a range of measures in place across government to protect children,” she said.
“The Queensland Family and Child Commission (QFCC) found our State’s Blue Card system is one of the strongest working with children check systems in Australia.”
Mrs D’Ath said the State Government would be setting aside $17 million in this year’s Budget for a ‘No Card, No Start’ scheme.
“The ‘No Card, No Start’ approach – recommended by the QFCC – will require people working in paid employment to be issued with a Blue Card before they can start working with children,” Mrs D’Ath said
The Working with Children (Risk Management and Screening) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2018 includes a number of QFCC recommendations, including:
- A central register for recording and reporting the Blue Card status of foster and kinship carers, Family Day Care educators, stand-alone care providers and adults who reside in these residences
- Requiring all adult household members of stand-alone care services to hold a Blue Card; and
- Including the Department of Education within the definition of ‘notifiable person’ so it receives notifications about changes to the Blue Card status of individual Family Day Care educators and adult household members
Almost one-in-six Queensland adults and 32,000 organisations are part of the current Blue Card system.
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LNP Leader Deb Frecklington said the protection of vulnerable children should be the priority for every government.
“It’s disappointing that it’s taken over a year for (Premier) Annastacia Palaszczuk to amend Blue Card laws following the review handed down in September 2017,” Ms Frecklington said.
“That review was instigated following the tragic death of Tiahleigh Palmer.
“We’ve seen scandal after scandal and confirmation that thousands of Queenslanders have been working with children without a Blue Card.
“Blue Cards should be a privilege not a right.”
Shadow Attorney-General David Janetzki said the new disqualifying framework also did not include serious violent offences including manslaughter, and choking, suffocation and strangulation in a domestic setting.
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