A new child safeguarding commission will be created in Queensland, supported by $250 million in funding over four years, after the Child Death Review Board’s In Plain Sight report exposed critical system failures.
Attorney-General Deb Frecklington announced the creation of the “nation leading” Queensland Protection Commission (QPC) today as part of the State Government’s response to the report’s 28 recommendations.
Ms Frecklington said the recommendations were aimed at addressing systemic failures identified in the report, particularly gaps in information sharing, oversight and early intervention.
The QPC will bring together existing government functions, including Working with Children Checks (known as Blue Cards), Disability Worker Screening Checks, the Reportable Conduct Scheme and Child Safe Standards to better support decision-making, including more informed and consistent assessments for Blue Cards.
It will also be home to what Ms Frecklington said was a child safeguarding intelligence hub targeted at proactive investigations.
“In another first, the Commission will host an intelligence hub targeted at proactive investigations,” Ms Frecklington said.
“The hub will collect, analyse, connect, and act on vital pieces of intelligence across agencies and sectors to eliminate the risk of child offending before it becomes harm.
“With these measures, the Crisafulli government directly addresses two flagship recommendations of the In Plain Sight report, while tackling head on the child safety system’s recurring two fault lines: desegregated information sharing and the heavy reliance on threshold-based interventions.”
Speaking at Queensland Media Club lunch event to launch the new commission, Ms Frecklington said the government had accepted 24 of the report’s 28 recommendations, either in full or in principle.
She said the remaining four were noted as they involved Commonwealth responsibilities, work already underway, or issues requiring further consideration, including around police investigations and funding implications.
Ms Frecklington said the reforms were not about “ticking off recommendations” but fundamentally changing how agencies share information and respond to risk.
The Commission will be operational by February 2027, ahead of the intelligence hub coming online in March 2028.
It will be supported by staff from key agencies including Justice, Child Safety, Youth Justice, Education, Health and the Queensland Police Service and through recruitment.
The In Plain Sight report, based on a 10‑month review by the Queensland Child Death Review Board, identified more than 18 points where convicted paedophile Ashley Paul Griffith’s offending could have been detected or disrupted earlier, including five missed opportunities where action could have been taken and 13 events that enabled him to remain undetected.
Ms Frecklington said while it could not be guaranteed the reforms would have stopped Griffith, failures such as siloed information sharing and the absence of key safeguards had allowed him to offend “in plain sight”.
Child Death Review Board Chairperson Luke Twyford said the In Plain Sight report showed us that child sexual abuse was not a rare event.
“It is widespread, persistent and often hidden in plain sight. It is a tragic reality that one in four children have experienced, or will experience, child sexual abuse unless something changes,” Mr Twyford said.
“The sexual abuse of children is a national problem, and these reforms will position Queensland as the national leader in child safeguarding, establishing one of the most advanced prevention and threat-detection systems in Australia.
“My review identified clear opportunities to better connect information, strengthen accountability and improve the way risks are identified before children are harmed. No society should wait for abuse to occur before it reacts.
“Today’s announcement is important because it addresses a fundamental weakness identified by the review: that no single organisation had responsibility for bringing together information about emerging threats to children.”
The In Plain Sight report can be found here https://www.justice.qld.gov.au/initiatives/qg-response-in-plain-sight-review
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