The reportable conduct scheme is not one law, but a set of state and territory schemes that require certain organisations working with children to notify an independent body and investigate allegations made against their own workers. This guide explains how the scheme works nationally, which organisations each state’s scheme covers, and where ChildSafe Australia can help.
What Is Reportable Conduct?
“Reportable conduct” is the term used across Australia for a specific legal duty. When an allegation is made that a worker, volunteer or contractor has behaved in a way that harms a child or puts them at risk, an organisation covered by a scheme must notify an independent oversight body, see the matter through to a fair investigation, and take appropriate action to keep children safe.
Each scheme sets out the types of conduct it captures. The exact wording differs between states, but most schemes cover:
- Sexual offences and sexual misconduct involving a child
- Physical violence against a child
- Behaviour that causes significant emotional or psychological harm to a child
- Significant neglect of a child
Some states include further categories, such as ill-treatment of a child, so it’s worth checking the definition that applies in your state.
Each state’s scheme also applies only to specific categories of organisation, which its legislation names directly. Depending on the state, these are called reporting entities, relevant entities or designated entities. Schools, early learning services, out-of-home care providers and religious bodies are covered in most states, but not every organisation that works with children is captured. Community sporting clubs, for example, are only covered in some states, or only when they run activities such as overnight stays. The state-by-state sections below set out who is covered where.
Falling outside a state’s scheme does not remove an organisation’s child safety responsibilities. If a worker’s behaviour raises a concern, the organisation still needs to look into it and take appropriate action to keep children safe, in line with any child safe standards that apply to it. What changes is the reporting step: only organisations the scheme covers are required to notify the regulator.
There is no single national reportable conduct law. Instead, each state and territory has introduced its own scheme, most of them in response to recommendations from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Knowing how your state’s scheme works, and whether your organisation is covered by it, is the starting point for meeting your obligations.
How the Scheme Works Nationally
Every reportable conduct scheme follows a similar pattern, even where the details differ from state to state.
It starts when an allegation against a worker, a volunteer or even the head of the organisation comes to the organisation’s attention. The threshold is reasonable belief, not proof. Someone must have alleged that the person has committed reportable conduct, or misconduct that may involve reportable conduct, and there must be some objective basis for that belief. A reasonable belief is more than a suspicion, but it doesn’t require certainty, so the allegation doesn’t need to be proven or fully detailed before it counts. Because the schemes operate at this allegation stage, a concern can trigger the process well before any facts have been established.
Straight away, the organisation needs to assess the risk the person may pose in their current role and in any ongoing contact with children. This can mean changing their duties or standing them down while the matter is investigated, so children are not put at risk in the meantime.
The organisation then notifies its state’s oversight body within a set timeframe, which ranges from three business days to 30 days depending on the state. It plans and carries out an investigation, applying procedural fairness to the person the allegation is about while keeping the child’s safety at the centre of the process. Once the investigation is complete, it reports its findings to the oversight body, along with any action it has taken as a result.
This is separate from mandatory reporting, which requires certain professionals to report suspected abuse or neglect to child protection authorities. The two duties often apply to the same situation, so organisations need systems that address both. The FAQ below explains the difference in more detail.
The Reportable Conduct Scheme by State
Six Australian jurisdictions currently run a dedicated reportable conduct scheme. South Australia and the Northern Territory don’t yet have one, though organisations there still carry obligations under child safe standards and mandatory reporting laws. Oversight bodies, timeframes and covered organisations all differ, as set out below.
Queensland
Queensland’s Reportable Conduct Scheme commenced on 1 July 2026 under the Child Safe Organisations Act 2024, overseen by the Queensland Family and Child Commission (QFCC). It applies to specific categories of organisation, including:
- Accommodation or residential services
- Child protection services
- Early childhood education and childcare
- Education services
- Government entities
- Health services
- Justice or detention services
- Religious bodies
- Services for children with disability
- Sporting organisations that run a program involving overnight stays
Once an allegation is raised, the process runs in three stages. Within three business days of becoming aware of a reportable allegation or conviction, the Head of Entity submits an initial report to the QFCC, alongside an immediate risk assessment of the person involved. The organisation then plans and carries out its investigation, providing the QFCC with an interim report within 30 business days and ongoing risk updates as the investigation continues. Once the investigation is complete, it submits a final report covering its findings, a final risk assessment and the actions it has taken.
If your organisation is based in Queensland, our QLD Reportable Conduct Readiness Course walks Heads of Entity, safeguarding leads and HR teams through what the scheme requires, from the reporting pathway through to investigation and record keeping. ChildSafe Australia also provides practical safety leadership and Child Safety Officer training for Queensland organisations through our Child Safety Lead Officer Workshop. For more in-depth information about the Reportable Conduct Scheme in Queensland, read our Queensland Child Safe Standards page.
New South Wales
New South Wales runs the longest established reportable conduct scheme in the country. It now operates under the Children’s Guardian Act 2019 and is administered by the Office of the Children’s Guardian (OCG). The Head of Entity must notify the OCG within seven business days of becoming aware of a reportable allegation or conviction.
Organisations covered by the scheme are known as relevant entities, and there are three types:
- Schedule 1 entities, which are named directly in the legislation and include government and non-government schools, approved education and care services, local health districts, TAFE NSW, Youth Justice and agencies providing out-of-home care
- Public authorities, such as government agencies not listed in Schedule 1, local councils, statutory bodies and universities
- Religious bodies, meaning bodies established for a religious purpose that run a charitable or educational service, such as a church-run childcare centre, school or youth group
Because the scheme has been running for many years, NSW organisations have access to a well-developed set of guidance materials from the OCG. Turning that guidance into an organisation’s own policies and training is often the harder part. Our NSW Child Safe Standards page covers the broader standards NSW organisations are expected to meet.
Victoria
Victoria’s Reportable Conduct Scheme sits under the Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005. For years it was overseen by the Commission for Children and Young People (CCYP), but from 23 February 2026, responsibility for receiving and overseeing reportable conduct notifications moved to the Social Services Regulator (SSR). Organisations must now notify the SSR, not CCYP, within three business days of becoming aware of an allegation. CCYP continues its broader advocacy role, but new notifications go to the SSR.
The scheme applies to specific categories of organisation, including:
- Registered government and non-government schools, plus organisations providing accredited senior secondary courses or overseas student programs
- Early childhood education and care services, such as kindergartens and after hours care, and other children’s services such as occasional care
- Disability service providers, including residential services for children with a disability
- Health services, including public and private hospitals and mental health services with in-patient beds
- Government-funded drug and alcohol treatment services with in-patient beds, and government-funded housing or homelessness services with overnight beds for children and young people
- Child protection and out-of-home care services
- Religious bodies
- Victorian Government departments
- Boarding school residential facilities, and organisations (including youth organisations) that run overnight camps for children as their primary activity
- Certain prescribed art centres, libraries, museums, zoos, parks and gardens
If your organisation hasn’t yet updated its policies, procedures and contact details to reflect the move from CCYP to the SSR, treat it as a priority. Notifying the wrong body can delay how quickly a concern is addressed. Our Victoria Child Safe Standards page has more detail on what else the state expects of organisations.
Western Australia
Western Australia’s Reportable Conduct Scheme has applied since 1 January 2023 under the Parliamentary Commissioner Amendment (Reportable Conduct) Act 2022. It is administered by the Ombudsman Western Australia, which organisations must notify within seven working days of becoming aware of a reportable allegation or conviction.
The types of organisations covered by the scheme include:
- Western Australian Government departments, authorities and local governments
- Child protection and out-of-home care services
- Childcare services
- Education services
- Health services
- Justice and detention services
- Accommodation and residential services
- Religious institutions
- Disability services
WA organisations sit within a child safety framework that continues to develop, including a recently announced oversight role for the Ombudsman covering the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations more broadly. Our Western Australia Child Safe Organisations page has more on what this means in practice.
Australian Capital Territory
The ACT’s Reportable Conduct Scheme has operated since 1 July 2017 under the Ombudsman Act 1989 and is administered by the ACT Ombudsman. Employers covered by the scheme, known as designated entities, must notify the Ombudsman of reportable allegations and convictions as soon as practicable, and no later than 30 days after the head of the entity becomes aware of them.
Designated entities include:
- All ACT directorates
- Health services
- Kinship and foster care organisations
- Residential care organisations
- Government and non-government schools
- Religious bodies
- Child care services
- Education and care service providers, including after school care
The scheme was extended to religious organisations in 2018 and has broadened gradually since it was first introduced. Our ACT Child Safe Standards page covers the standards ACT organisations need to meet alongside this scheme.
Tasmania
Tasmania’s Reportable Conduct Scheme began on 1 January 2024 under the Child and Youth Safe Organisations Act 2023 and is overseen by the Office of the Independent Regulator (OIR). Organisations must notify the OIR within three business days of becoming aware of a reportable allegation, then begin an investigation and provide an update within 30 days.
The scheme has been phased in. From 1 January 2024, it applied to specific categories of organisation, including:
- Accommodation and residential service providers, including homelessness services and providers of overnight excursions, camps or stays for children
- Religious entities and religious community services through which adults have contact with children
- Childcare and child-minding services, including professional babysitting and au pair services
- Child protection and out-of-home care providers, including care, adoption and children’s contact services
- Disability service providers
- Education and training providers, including schools, early childhood education and care providers, TasTAFE, the University of Tasmania and registered training organisations
- Health service providers, including public and private hospitals, approved mental health facilities, counselling services and Ambulance Tasmania
- Youth justice service providers
- The Governor of Tasmania, Parliament of Tasmania, government agencies and councils
From 1 July 2024, the scheme extended to clubs, associations and cadet organisations with significant membership or involvement by children, and to providers of coaching or tuition services to children. This means Tasmania’s scheme can capture community sporting clubs and coaches more broadly than most other states.
The scheme forms part of a wider set of reforms following Tasmania’s Commission of Inquiry into child sexual abuse in institutional settings. Our Tasmania Child and Youth Safe Organisations page covers the standards that sit alongside the scheme.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the reportable conduct scheme?
A reportable conduct scheme is a legal framework that requires certain organisations working with children to notify an independent oversight body when an allegation of reportable conduct is made against a worker, volunteer or contractor, and to carry out a fair and timely investigation into that allegation. Six Australian states and territories run their own version, each with its own legislation and oversight body.
What’s the difference between mandatory reporting and the reportable conduct scheme?
Mandatory reporting requires certain professionals to report suspected child abuse or neglect to child protection authorities. A reportable conduct scheme works differently. It requires organisations to notify their state’s oversight body and investigate allegations of reportable conduct made against their own workers, volunteers or contractors, even where the matter doesn’t meet the threshold for a mandatory report. The two obligations often apply at once, and organisations need systems that address both.
Does the reportable conduct scheme apply in every state?
Not yet. Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, the ACT and Tasmania each run a reportable conduct scheme, though the legislation and reporting requirements differ between them. South Australia and the Northern Territory don’t currently have a dedicated scheme, but organisations there still carry obligations under child safe standards and mandatory reporting laws.
Does the reportable conduct scheme apply to my organisation?
Only if your organisation falls into one of the categories your state’s legislation names. Coverage varies more than many organisations expect. A community sporting club, for example, may be covered in Tasmania, but in Queensland only if it runs a program involving overnight stays. Check your state’s section above, or get in touch if you’re unsure. If your organisation isn’t covered, you still need to respond to concerns about a worker’s behaviour and take action to keep children safe. You just aren’t required to notify the regulator.
The Depth Behind This Guidance
Advice on this page draws on ChildSafe Australia’s work across consulting, auditing and training with organisations in every state covered above. Our team includes practitioners with backgrounds in child protection, governance and compliance, and we track regulatory changes, such as Victoria’s shift from CCYP to the Social Services Regulator, as they happen.
Guidance on this page is grounded in the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations and each state’s reportable conduct legislation, current as of publication. You can find out more about the people behind this guidance on our Meet the ChildSafe Team page.
Last reviewed: September 2026
Get Support With Your Reportable Conduct Obligations
Understanding a scheme is one thing. Building the systems and workforce capability to meet it is another.
If your organisation is in Queensland, our QLD Reportable Conduct Readiness Course is a practical starting point, built around the state’s scheme and the QFCC’s expectations. Our Child Safety Lead Officer Workshop – National prepares the person in your organisation responsible for child safety day to day, with both a Queensland-specific version and a national version available.
Some organisations need help reviewing their policies or running an audit against the standards that apply to them. Others want to work through how reportable conduct fits alongside everything else they are already doing to keep children safe.
Our consulting support and audit and gap analysis services can help with either. Contact ChildSafe Australia to talk through what your organisation needs.
