Creation of a National Children’s Commissioner

A National Children’s Commissioner will be created within the Australian Human Rights Commission to promote the rights, wellbeing and development of children and young people inAustralia. This responds to a commitment under the Australian Government’s National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2009-2012.

The Children’s Commissioner will take a broad advocacy role to promote awareness of issues affecting children, conduct research and education programs, consult directly with children and representative organisations as well as monitor Commonwealth legislation, policies and programs that relate to children’s rights, wellbeing and development. The role is to complement the work of commissioners and guardians in states and territories.

Legislation for the Commissioner will be introduced later this year and the new Commissioner is expected to take office by the end of2012. Ina submission in 2010, National Disability Services (NDS) supported the establishment of a national Commissioner but the legislation did not proceed. Information on the new draft legislation is not yet available.

The independence of this role will be important so as to enable the Commissioner to set its own agenda. NDS will be keen to work with the Commissioner to ensure issues for children with disability are identified and addressed, particularly in mainstream [...]

Want to find out whats happening with the register? find out how many children are registered and the most common conditions these children live with by viewing the latest ACVIR report.

Sign in to the Parent Forum

You will need to have a child registered with us to join. Visit how to register my child for further information.

Professor Greg Leigh from the Royal Institute of Deaf and Blind Children and Melissa Fanshawe, mother of a child with impaired vision, discuss some of the benefits of having a register, including enabling better support and access to information for families, and better provision of services for those in need.

Listen or download the interview now!