Kids across Australia are set to be safer in childcare settings after historic agreements were reached by the country's top law officers, stopping predators from being able to jump across borders.
Attorneys-general met in Darwin on Friday to strengthen working-with-children checks across each jurisdiction, which will automatically bar a person with serious criminal offences from being able to hold a check.
A minimum national standards process for risk assessments will mean each jurisdiction has the same information when considering if someone poses a serious risk to children, and information will be shared between them.
The country had been working towards the changes since November, federal Attorney-General Michelle Rowland said.
''This builds on the important work already undertaken by the commonwealth and states and territories, including the introduction of 'banned in one, banned in all' legislation in every jurisdiction," Ms Rowland said.
''These are complex reforms and I look forward to working closely with all jurisdictions to continue making progress towards national mutual recognition of working-with-children checks."
But shadow attorney-general Michaelia Cash told reporters while she was pleased about the changes, they were long overdue.
"The question parents are being asked is: 'do you feel your kids are safer today than they were last year in child care as a result of the actions of their government?' The answer is no," she said.
"We welcome the meeting today. I'll wait to see the outcome."
Nationally consistent checks have been on the agenda for top law officers following several high-profile cases of child abuse in childcare centres.
Western Australia was the last state to make changes meaning that someone with a failed working-with-children checks in one state would be banned in all, following the ACT passing laws to that effect last December, and the NT did so in February.
The changes were expected to be implemented across the board by late 2026.
''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 early on Friday.
"That's why we must maintain the momentum and continue strengthening working-with-children schemes across the country."
