Queensland, NSW call for urgent safety review after childcare worker’s sex abuse charges

Child welfare expert says a nationwide standard of risk assessment needs to be driven at the federal level

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Queensland and New South Wales have joined forces to seek an urgent review of national child protection measures after police on Tuesday announced a 45-year-old former childcare worker had been charged with raping and assaulting dozens of children.

In 2015, an inquiry by the productivity commission into childcare and early childhood learning recommended state and territory governments harmonise background checks within two years. The report suggested this be done by creating a nationally consistent approach or implementing a single, nationally recognised working with children check.

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