Australia news live: attorneys general meet to reform working with children checks; leaders gather for Garma festival
- +Most Australians say they face barriers accessing dental care in new survey
Attorneys general are meeting in Darwin on Friday to work on nationalising the working with children check – sparked by serious allegations of safety breaches and child abuse in the childcare sector.
Attorneys general are meeting in Darwin on Friday to work on nationalising the working with children check – sparked by serious allegations of safety breaches and child abuse in the childcare sector.
But a fully nationalised system will only be in place under current timelines from mid-2028 – two years from now.
The Coalition in recent days has put pressure on the government’s timeline and accused it of delaying the national system.
The federal attorney general, Michelle Rowland, says today the AGs will seek agreement on a baseline of criminal offences which will automatically bar a person from being granted or hold a working with children check (WWCC), and discuss minimum standards for WWCC risk assessment processes.
double quotation markAll governments have made significant progress towards delivering a national approach to Working with Children Checks ... I am confident my state and territory colleagues will take the next big step today and agree on nationally consistent minimum standards and information sharing.
Most Australians say they face barriers accessing dental care in new survey
Three-quarters of the 25,000 Australians surveyed in the Australian Dental Association’s 2025 consumer survey said they faced barriers to accessing dental care, which could be forcing them to delay or avoid dental care.
The survey found cost was the biggest obstacle to regular dental care for young adults, but a lack of free time and reduced access to support were also factors.
Cost pressures outlined in the survey support a decades-long push to improve affordability of dental care by adding dental to Medicare.
The average cost of a dental check-up and clean in Australia last year was just below $240 last year, according to Cleanbill’s 2025 National Dental Listings Report.
The association also says social media is driving a surge in cosmetic dental procedures.
A legal battle involving Indigenous land rights is set to return to court after native title holders rejected a court-ordered $150m compensation payout, Australian Associated Press reports.
The federal court ordered in May that Andrew Forrest’s company Fortescue pay the Yindjibarndi Ngurra Aboriginal Corporation the sum in compensation for mining on its land without an agreement and destroying cultural sites.
Yesterday a meeting of Yindjibarndi native title body members voted unanimously to appeal the decision, in order to seek more from the miner.
Yindjibarndi Group chief executive, Michael Woodley, said:
double quotation markIt was a long, emotional day, which resulted in a decision by all attendees to put family and Ngurra [Country] first.
The decision represents the strong connection between Yindjibarndi People and our Ngurra, and what we hold as the key value of our community – that is, a successful future for the next generations.
Good morning, blog readers. Nick Visser here to take the reins and guide us through Friday. Let’s get to it.
Attorneys general are meeting in Darwin on Friday to work on nationalising the working with children check – sparked by serious allegations of safety breaches and child abuse in the childcare sector.
But a fully nationalised system will only be in place under current timelines from mid-2028 – two years from now.
The Coalition in recent days has put pressure on the government’s timeline and accused it of delaying the national system.
The federal attorney general, Michelle Rowland, says today the AGs will seek agreement on a baseline of criminal offences which will automatically bar a person from being granted or hold a working with children check (WWCC), and discuss minimum standards for WWCC risk assessment processes.
double quotation markAll governments have made significant progress towards delivering a national approach to Working with Children Checks ... I am confident my state and territory colleagues will take the next big step today and agree on nationally consistent minimum standards and information sharing.
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action.
State, territory and federal attorneys general are meeting today to discuss reform on working with children checks. The meeting has been sparked by serious allegations of safety breaches and child abuse in the childcare sector.
A farewell will be held for Layla Jeffery, 13, in Donald today. Layla went missing in July and a 16-year-old boy has been charged over her alleged murder.
And a legal battle involving Indigenous land rights is set to return to court after native title holders rejected a court-ordered $150m compensation payout.
