Queensland expands blue card checks to more workers as child-safety reforms take effect

Queensland, Australia — The state will overhaul its blue card system on Sept. 20, broadening who must hold a blue card for work involving children and adding new self-disclosure requirements as part of a broader child-safety package.

Under the reforms, more Queenslanders working in child-related roles, including amusement parks, sports clubs, churches, educational services and even the legal profession, will need blue cards. Parent volunteers will also be subject to the rules.

A new criminal offense will target adults in positions of authority who engage in sexual conduct with 16- or 17-year-olds under their care or supervision. Although those youths are above the age of consent in Queensland (16), the offence recognizes the power imbalance and aims to deter abuse. Offenders could face up to 14 years in prison. In addition, the existing offense of 'repeated sexual conduct with a child' will apply to adults in positions of authority over 16- and 17-year-olds, with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Non-contact orders will be extended from two to five years, with breach penalties raised to align with domestic-violence and family-violence regimes. Authorities will gain a new suspension power to immediately bar individuals from working with children while investigations proceed.

Transitional arrangements will ease the shift for workers and organisations. Attorney-General Deb Frecklington said the reforms are designed to give parents greater confidence that their children are safe in the community. "These reforms mean that some people who were previously exempt may now be required to hold a blue card, but we make no apologies for doing whatever it takes to protect our kids," Frecklington said. "Parents want absolute confidence that everything possible is being done to keep their children safe when they drop them at sports clubs, birthday parties, or amusement parks."

Queensland's Labor Opposition supported the laws but criticized the government for not fully implementing all 28 recommendations from the Queensland Sentencing Advisory Council's 2023 report, which followed a 19-month review into sentencing in sexual-violence cases. The recommendations include limiting 'good character' evidence, recognizing victim harm as a key factor in sentencing, and treating offences against children as aggravating.

The reforms come after a series of troubling child-abuse cases that exposed gaps in Australia's child-safety systems. Ashley Paul Griffith, described by prosecutors as one of the country's worst paedophiles, was sentenced to life imprisonment after pleading guilty to more than 300 offences committed in childcare centers in Brisbane and Italy over nearly two decades. The case prompted the Queensland Government to launch the comprehensive review of the state's child protection and blue-card systems.

Experts say the changes are intended to balance robust protections with practical steps for employers and volunteers to adapt, including clear guidelines for self-disclosure and swift action when a child is at risk.