Catholic education welcomes $37 million national reform to strengthen child safety

Reposted from National Catholic Education Commission on 14 November 2025

The National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) welcomes the Albanese government’s announcement of $37 million in funding to implement the National Continuous Checking Capability (NCCC) as a major step towards a consistent, national approach to safeguarding children.

The NCCC will introduce continuous, near real-time monitoring of criminal history information for Working with Children Check (WWCC) holders in every state and territory, with a rollout beginning at the end of 2025. The reforms also include national mutual recognition of negative WWCC decisions and a unified risk framework across jurisdictions, measures Catholic education has championed to close safeguarding gaps.

Earlier this year, the NCEC called for a national approach to child safety checks and information sharing, highlighting the importance of a coordinated, consistent system across all states and territories (NCEC media release, August 2025).

After more than 10 years calling for a nationally consistent approach, Executive Director of the NCEC, Jacinta Collins, said “this is a landmark reform in child safety policy.”

“Catholic schools place the safety and wellbeing of children at the centre of everything we do. Today’s announcement and investment is a step closer to ensuring safeguarding of children is a national priority which is not impeded by jurisdictional variation.”

“We are particularly pleased to see mutual recognition of WWCC decisions across jurisdictions. For too long, inconsistencies between states and territories have left children vulnerable. This reform sets a new national benchmark of safety and protection.”

Catholic education looks forward to working with governments, school communities, families and other providers to embed these reforms across our sector.

“As organisations centred on interactions with children and young people, it is essential that we have access to mechanisms and systems which ensure our staff, volunteers and providers are committed to child safety.”

The reforms sit within the broader work of the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse 2021–2030 and contribute to strengthening safeguarding across Australia’s education and care sectors.