Reporting
The Royal Commission recommended that the Australian, state and territory governments, along with non-government organisations and peak bodies that work with children, report on how they are implementing the recommendations made in the Royal Commission’s Final Report.The Royal Commission recommended that relevant the government and non-government institutions first report within 12 months of the Final Report, which was published on 15 December 2017. The Royal Commission recommended annual reports be submitted every year for five years – 2022 was the final year.
Government
The Australian Government has committed to delivering five consecutive annual progress reports on its implementation of the recommendations made by the Royal Commission. On 14 December 2018, the Australian Government tabled its first annual progress report and continued to table a report in December of each of the five reporting years, concluding in December 2022. The states and territories all also publish their own annual progress reports.
Reports from the Australian, state and territory governments are published annually on the Child Abuse Royal Commission Response website.
Public reporting on implementation of measures under the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse will commence late 2023.
Non-government organisations
The National Office for Child Safety facilitates a non-government annual reporting process, where non-government organisations and peak-bodies of organisations that engage in child related work are invited to report on their actions to keep children safe and well. The Royal Commission recommended that at a minimum, the 11 organisations that were the subject of relevant Royal Commission hearings should report for 5 consecutive years, ending in 2022. The National Office for Child Safety has grown the reporting process each year, in recognition of the importance of transparency and accountability for organisations. The reporting process also promotes sharing of best practice and new approaches to enhancing child safety in organisations.
Under the National Strategy and moving beyond the 5 years of reporting the Royal Commission recommended, the National Office for Child Safety is developing a new and ongoing national reporting framework for non-government organisations to report on their progress to create and maintain child safe cultures. We will develop the framework in consultation with stakeholders to make sure it complements the National Principles and does not duplicate state and territory reporting requirements.
Annual progress reports
The first round of annual reporting commenced in 2018, with the 11 organisations that were subject to the Royal Commission’s review hearings providing public reports. In 2019, the National Office for Child Safety invited 53 organisations to report, including those whose conduct was considered as part of the Royal Commission. In 2020, we invited 69 organisations to report to continue to encourage child safe cultures and advocate for transparency in organisations.
In 2021, we invited 183 organisations to report in recognition of the role education and sporting organisations play in the development and safety of children. We received 54 reports covering at least 59 invited organisations. Reports from national peak bodies may include content from schools, clubs and associations across Australia. Some of the reports we received came from organisations that:
- reported voluntarily
- demonstrate a continuous commitment to improving child safety
- set exemplary expectations for child safety in their sector.
The 2022 reporting period was the fifth and final reporting year under the Royal Commission’s recommendations. As mentioned above, the National Office for Child Safety is developing a new and ongoing annual reporting framework and process to commence in 2023-24.
If your organisation is interested in participating in the reporting process, contact us.