Children and Young People (Safety and Support) Bill 2024 passed through parliament. We acknowledge our disappointment that the paramount principle of best interests was not incorporated in the final draft but welcome the passage of the legislation given the range of other benefits. We also acknowledge the different views across the sector, commit to continue advocating for the paramountcy of the best interests principle and welcome the partnership approach with the sector the Minister and the department have committed to in the development of the policies and procedures that will influence practice, as well as the evaluation framework to track the impact of the legislation. You can read the official position of CAFFSA here.
On 17 June, the Social Workers Registration (Commencement of Act) Amendment Bill 2025 passed the Legislative Council, removing the requirement that the Social Workers Registration Scheme being on 1 July, with no new date determined. You can read the official CAFFSA position here, where we recognise that the Minister has listened to the voice of the sector, including CAFFSA’s, urging her to delay the implementation of the scheme, allowing further time for the complexities and impact of the scheme to be fully addressed. This is an important achievement for the sector and we thank our member agencies who contributed in a range of important ways to our advocacy platform.