📜 Working with Children (Screening) Amendment Bill 2025

Legislative Council - Committee Report TabledLABill 484 December 2025

This bill amends the Working with Children (Screening) Act 2004 to implement mutual recognition of negative working with children check decisions across Australian jurisdictions. It ensures that a person denied a check in one jurisdiction cannot obtain one in Western Australia.

Impact

This bill affects individuals seeking to work with children, organisations employing people in child-related roles, and education providers. It aims to enhance child safety by preventing individuals deemed unsuitable in one state from gaining clearance in another.

Key Changes

["Introduces the concept of 'adverse interstate WWC decision'.", "Mandates consideration of interstate WWC decisions in WA screening processes.", "Allows information sharing with the WWC national reference system.", "Education providers must not procure child-related employment for students if the provider is aware the student is subject to an adverse interstate WWC decision."]

Parliamentary Progress

LA IntroducedLA4 Dec 2025
LA Second Reading SpeechLA4 Dec 2025
LA Second Reading MovedLA4 Dec 2025
LA Second Reading AgreedLA10 Mar 2026
LA Third ReadingLA10 Mar 2026
LA Consideration in DetailLA10 Mar 2026
LC Second Reading MovedLC11 Mar 2026
LC First ReadingLC11 Mar 2026
LC Second Reading SpeechLC11 Mar 2026

Affected Sectors

educationpublic_sectorother

Penalty Provisions1 found

💰 Max fine: $60,000regulatory

s. 9B(2A)Regulatoryfine

An education provider procuring child-related employment for a student if the education provider is aware that the student is the subject of an adverse interstate WWC decision.

Fine: $60,000

“Penalty for this subsection: a fine of $60 000.”

View on Parliament website →Bill PDF EM PDF