Red light on blue cards

Delays mean thousands working without child safety tick

THE STATE Government’s “no card, no start” policy will take at least 18 months to roll out as its revealed blue card requirements may be extended to more professions.

Attorney- General Yvette D’Ath was questioned about the Government’s overhaul of the blue card system by the Opposition during estimates hearings yesterday.

She told the committee there were currently 6471 people working with children in Queensland while waiting for their blue card application to be approved. Ms D’Ath also said the “no card, no start” rollout was expected to take another 18 months.

“We have to commence the system in parallel to test it, because you have to make sure the system is working before you stop using the old system," she said. Ms D’Ath said the new system could not be rushed.

“What we are talking about here is child safety,” she said.

“You cannot flick the switch and have a new system without making sure that everything is in place and the system is going to work before you move away from the old system.”

Ms D’Ath indicated the Government would take into account recommendations to look at “broadening the reportable obligations” for organisations working with children.

“Obligations on organis- ations as to who must have a blue card and when you need to report on the changes,” she said.

Community concerns have been previously raised about the lack of blue card requirements for occupations such as shopping centre Santa workers and driving instructors despite their proximity to children.

LNP justice spokesman David Janetzki said he believed the number of people currently working in Queensland without a blue card was “outrageous”.

“That figure should send a chill down the spine of every parent,” he said.

“The blue card system is severely compromised and Queensland kids are at risk while the loophole exists.”

Mr Janetzki said he wanted to see “urgent law changes” brought to the Parliament.

“Labor promised a ‘ no card, no start’ policy during the state election as an urgent fix, but now we learn it will take another 18 months to introduce the policy,” he said.

“The extreme delays by At- torney- General Yvette D’Ath to close this blue card loophole shows Labor has lost control of the system.”

But Ms D’Ath said she rejected the characterisation that changes to the blue card system were to fix a “loophole”.

“I have heard commentary that the reason we have committed to ‘ no card, no start’ is that somehow this has just been a glitch or an error that someone has suddenly identified,” she said. “That is not accurate. This is the way that the system was set up.”