[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":141},["ShallowReactive",2],{"nz-slugs-manifest":3,"au-glossary-reportable-conduct":62},{"article":4,"policy":30,"webinar":36,"alternative":45,"features":47,"use-cases":48,"solutions":55},[5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,22,24,25,26,27,28,29],"cybersecurity-culture","signs-of-a-toxic-workplace","anonymous-reporting-for-schools","iso-37002","anonymous-employee-feedback","shirli-kirschner-game-changers","employee-engagement-survey-questions","dealing-with-workplace-misconduct","whistleblowing-software","what-is-unlawful-victimisation-in-the-workplace","respect-in-the-workplace","bystander-effect-in-the-workplace","person-centred-and-trauma-informed-approach","combating-virtual-harassment-in-remote-work","understanding-and-preventing-workplace-bullying","anonymous-reporting-advantages-disadvantages","culture-audit-guide","serious-misconduct","what-is-whistleblowing","psychologically-safe-workplace","mentally-healthy-workplace","case-management-software","nz-protected-disclosures-act-2022","nz-hsw-act-psychosocial","nz-privacy-act-2020-anonymous-reporting",[31,32,33,34,35],"cookies","privacy","anti-modern-slavery","terms","whistleblowing",[37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44],"psychosocial-safety-construction-and-mining","new-world-of-work","2024-august-live-demonstration-of-the-elker-platform","psychosocial-risks-leadership-and-tools","safety-culture-and-transformation-hospitality","addressing-psychosocial-issues-at-work-webinar","finishing-safe-between-now-and-january-webinar","dealing-with-sensitive-information",[46],"eqs-integrity-line-alternative",[],[49,50,51,52,53,54],"aged-care-disability-services","schools","peak-bodies","businesses","government","universities",[56,57,58,59,60,61,26],"speak-up-platform","anonymous-suggestion-box","workplace-investigation-software","whistleblowing-platform","whistleblowing-hotline","psychosocial-hazard-management",[63],{"id":64,"status":65,"date_updated":66,"slug":67,"title":68,"locale":69,"category":72,"primary_keyword":73,"secondary_keywords":74,"definition_short":79,"definition_long":80,"context_body":81,"sources":82,"last_reviewed":83,"faqs":84,"related_pillars":120,"related_terms":138,"seo":139},8,"published","2026-04-20T01:12:49.394Z","reportable-conduct","Reportable Conduct: Definition and Meaning in Australian Workplaces",[70,71],"au","nz","child-safety","reportable conduct",[75,76,77,78],"reportable conduct scheme","reportable conduct definition","reportable conduct nsw","reportable conduct victoria","Reportable conduct under Australian schemes (NSW, Victoria, ACT, Queensland 2026): what's covered, who must report, and how each scheme operates.","\u003Cp>Reportable conduct is a specific statutory category of allegations against employees or workers of child-related or child-contact organisations that must be reported to an independent oversight body rather than handled internally alone. It covers sexual offences, sexual misconduct, physical assault, significant emotional or psychological harm, significant neglect, and (in some jurisdictions) behaviour that causes significant harm to a child.\u003C/p>","\u003Cp>Reportable Conduct Schemes are operational in three Australian jurisdictions as of April 2026: New South Wales (since 1999), the Australian Capital Territory (since 2017), and Victoria (since 2017). Queensland has enacted the Child Safe Organisations Act 2024 (Qld) and will commence its scheme in phases from 1 July 2026. The Northern Territory has not implemented a scheme; NT reform is being considered as part of a broader replacement of the Care and Protection of Children Act 2007 and the Youth Justice Act 2005. Each operating scheme is administered by an independent oversight body and imposes legal obligations on heads of entity on top of existing mandatory reporting to police and child protection authorities.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>NSW\u003C/strong> is administered by the Office of the Children's Guardian under the Children's Guardian Act 2019. It covers any \"relevant entity\" (government departments, non-government schools, religious bodies, out-of-home care agencies, and specified health services). Reportable conduct includes sexual offences, sexual misconduct, ill-treatment, assault, and neglect of a child. The head of entity must notify the OCG of any allegation or conviction within seven business days, provide updates during the investigation, and provide a final report at outcome.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Victoria\u003C/strong> is administered by the Commission for Children and Young People under Part 5A of the Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005. Coverage includes schools, disability services, out-of-home care, early childhood services, and religious bodies. Reportable conduct categories: sexual offences, sexual misconduct, physical violence, behaviour causing significant emotional or psychological harm, and significant neglect.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>ACT\u003C/strong> is administered by the ACT Ombudsman under the Ombudsman Act 1989 (ACT). The scheme applies to Territory entities and designated organisations. Categories mirror the NSW scheme.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Queensland\u003C/strong> enacted the Child Safe Organisations Act 2024 (Qld) (Act No. 49 of 2024), with the Reportable Conduct Scheme commencing 1 July 2026 in a phased rollout: Phase 1 (1 July 2026) covers child protection, disability, justice/detention, and government bodies; Phase 2 (January 2027) covers education, health, early childhood, and community services; Phase 3 (July 2027) covers commercial services for children, transport, religious bodies, and other child-focused activities. The Queensland Family and Child Commission is the oversight body.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>The schemes operate alongside, not instead of, mandatory reporting to police and child protection. Where an allegation involves a suspected crime, police must also be notified; where it involves risk of significant harm, the relevant child protection authority must also be notified. Failure to report reportable conduct exposes the head of entity to statutory penalties and reputational consequences.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>New Zealand does not operate a Reportable Conduct Scheme in the Australian sense. Child-safety obligations are addressed through the Children's Act 2014 (workforce safety-check requirements), the Children, Young Persons, and Their Families Act 1989 (mandatory reporting of abuse), and the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989. The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions (Whanaketia, 2024) recommended a statutory reportable-conduct framework modelled on Victoria's scheme; legislative response is pending.\u003C/p>","\u003Col>\n\u003Cli>Children's Guardian Act 2019 (NSW). \u003Ca href=\"https://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/whole/html/inforce/current/act-2019-025\">NSW Legislation\u003C/a>. Retrieved 2026-04-19.\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005 (Vic), Part 5A. \u003Ca href=\"https://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/in-force/acts/child-wellbeing-and-safety-act-2005\">Victorian Legislation\u003C/a>. Retrieved 2026-04-19.\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>Office of the Children's Guardian (NSW), Reportable Conduct Scheme. \u003Ca href=\"https://www.ocg.nsw.gov.au/reportable-conduct-scheme\">OCG\u003C/a>. Retrieved 2026-04-19.\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>Commission for Children and Young People (Victoria), Reportable Conduct Scheme. \u003Ca href=\"https://ccyp.vic.gov.au/reportable-conduct-scheme/\">CCYP\u003C/a>. Retrieved 2026-04-19.\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>ACT Ombudsman, Reportable Conduct Scheme. \u003Ca href=\"https://www.ombudsman.act.gov.au/what-we-investigate/reportable-conduct-scheme\">ACT Ombudsman\u003C/a>. Retrieved 2026-04-19.\u003C/li>\n\u003C/ol>","2026-04-19",[85,92,99,106,113],{"id":86,"sort":87,"faq_item_id":88},39,1,{"id":89,"question":90,"answer":91},626,"Is reportable conduct only about child sexual abuse?","\u003Cp>No. The schemes cover five or six categories depending on the jurisdiction: sexual offences, sexual misconduct, physical violence or assault, significant emotional or psychological harm, significant neglect, and (in some schemes) behaviour involving children that causes or is likely to cause harm. Physical assault, significant verbal abuse, and persistent failure to provide essential care all fall within scope.\u003C/p>",{"id":93,"sort":94,"faq_item_id":95},40,2,{"id":96,"question":97,"answer":98},627,"Who has to report reportable conduct?","\u003Cp>The statutory obligation sits with the \u003Cstrong>head of entity\u003C/strong> (the CEO, principal, or equivalent of the relevant organisation). The head of entity may delegate operational notification to a designated contact, but remains legally accountable for compliance. Employees who become aware of reportable conduct have an obligation to tell the head of entity or the designated contact under the organisation's internal policy.\u003C/p>",{"id":100,"sort":101,"faq_item_id":102},41,3,{"id":103,"question":104,"answer":105},628,"Does reportable conduct replace police reporting?","\u003Cp>No. Reportable conduct obligations sit on top of any other reporting obligations. If the conduct may involve a criminal offence, police must be notified. If the child is at risk of significant harm, the state or territory child protection agency must be notified. The Reportable Conduct Scheme oversight body (OCG, CCYP, ACT Ombudsman, or NT Children's Commissioner) also receives notification and monitors the investigation.\u003C/p>",{"id":107,"sort":108,"faq_item_id":109},42,4,{"id":110,"question":111,"answer":112},629,"What's the relationship with the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations?","\u003Cp>The National Principles for Child Safe Organisations (2019, endorsed by all Australian governments) set the cultural and governance baseline for child-safe organisations. Reportable Conduct Schemes are the statutory compliance regime sitting on top of those principles. Implementation of Principle 9 (implementing, monitoring, and reviewing policies and procedures) often maps directly to the scheme's reporting and response requirements.\u003C/p>",{"id":114,"sort":115,"faq_item_id":116},43,5,{"id":117,"question":118,"answer":119},630,"When is a reportable conduct disclosure also a protected disclosure?","\u003Cp>A disclosure that qualifies as both reportable conduct and a public interest disclosure attracts two overlapping legal regimes simultaneously. NSW's Public Interest Disclosures Act 2022, Victoria's Public Interest Disclosures Act 2012, and the ACT's Public Interest Disclosure Act 2012 provide reprisal protection for child-safety disclosures within public-sector and designated-entity contexts. The reportable conduct scheme governs the investigation obligation; the PID regime governs the reprisal protection of the discloser. Best practice is to treat every reportable-conduct report as a protected disclosure by default, even where the PID threshold is unclear.\u003C/p>",[121,127,133],{"id":122,"sort":87,"article_id":123},17,{"id":124,"slug":125,"title":126},25,"whistleblowing-in-aged-care","Whistleblowing in Aged Care: Protections Under the New Aged Care Act",{"id":128,"sort":94,"article_id":129},18,{"id":130,"slug":131,"title":132},45,"incident-management-system-aged-care","Implementing an Effective Incident Management System: Aged Care Quality and Safety",{"id":134,"sort":101,"article_id":135},19,{"id":136,"slug":12,"title":137},28,"Dealing with Workplace Misconduct in 2025",[],{"meta_title":68,"meta_description":79,"meta_image":140},null,1776811947931]