National Children’s Commissioner calls for child safety to become a national priority

National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollonds has urged political leaders to treat child safety as a vote-winning issue, criticising nearly a decade of stalled reforms and calling for urgent action on childcare safety and wellbeing.

Speaking to The Sunday Telegraph, Ms Hollonds expressed “deep frustration” at the lack of progress on implementing recommendations from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, nearly ten years after its findings were handed down.

“Neither state nor federal leaders have been held accountable for getting it done,” Ms Hollonds said.

She reaffirmed her support for the Keep Them Safe campaign, which advocates for the full adoption of national Working With Children Check guidelines recommended by the Royal Commission.

Ms Hollonds called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to appoint a Cabinet Minister for Children and to place child safety and wellbeing on the official list of national cabinet priorities.

“Costs should not be a barrier to keeping children safe,” she said. “The widespread, nationwide level of concern really signifies the opportunity now to do the work of addressing those barriers.”

The Commissioner emphasised that child safety must move beyond being a niche concern, arguing it should become a central election issue.

“I’m hoping this, now, is a vote-winning issue,” she said. “Historically it hasn’t been, but what I’ve seen in the last few weeks is that it’s not just parents who are outraged people are saying, ‘I’m not even a parent and I’m angry’.”

Recent crises in the childcare sector, including safety breaches and workforce pressures, have heightened public concern and underscored systemic weaknesses. Ms Hollonds said governments must not only implement the Royal Commission’s recommendations but also accelerate wider reforms, even where they carry significant cost.

“This is our best chance, and I don’t want us to blow it and move on with just these few measures that have been discussed,” she said.

The Commissioner’s comments reflect growing community sentiment that child safety is non-negotiable and should be backed by strong political commitment. Public outrage following recent childcare incidents has added momentum to calls for tighter regulations, stronger safeguards and better enforcement of existing standards.

With mounting evidence that Australians parents and non-parents alike see child safety as a matter of national importance, advocates say governments have a critical opportunity to act decisively.

While the federal government continues to review its policies on early childhood and child protection, advocates argue that delay risks undermining public trust. Ms Hollonds’ intervention adds to pressure on leaders to elevate child safety as a top-tier priority.

For the early childhood education and care sector, these reforms, if delivered, could reshape expectations for safeguarding children, enhance regulatory frameworks under the National Quality Framework, and ensure long-term protection measures are properly funded.

“This is our best chance,” Ms Hollonds said, “and we cannot afford to move on without meaningful change.”

To read the original coverage of this story, as produced by the Daily Telegraph, please see here.