Seatbelt mandate flagged after horror school bus smash
Victoria could look at mandating seat belts on all buses in response to a crash in Melbourne's west that left several children with traumatic injuries.
children
Bad homes and childhoods foster youth crime: Qld study
Household dysfunction and abuse during childhood sharply increase the likelihood of adolescents committing crime, a new Queensland study shows.
WA premier stands firm on juvenile detainee ‘terrorism’
Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan says there is no need for an inquiry into the troubled Banksia Hill detention centre despite a riot at the facility.
Child protection body ‘missing opportunities’ on abuse
The Queensland Family and Child Commission wants to address abuse but often cannot help individual children until it is too late, an inquiry has heard.
Life sentence for mother who murdered, burned kids
Margaret Hawke has been sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum non-parole period of 25 years, for murdering her three children and burning their bodies.
UN says violence must stop for sake of Sudan’s children
The United Nations has warned of the devastating toll violence in Sudan is taking on children as fierce fighting persists despite another truce agreement.
Palaszczuk defends Queensland’s youth crime laws
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has defended the state's response to youth crime, insisting Queensland has introduced "the toughest laws in Australia".
Families to talk about missing and murdered loved ones
A parliamentary inquiry into missing and murdered First Nations women and children will hear from victims, survivors and their families in Perth.
Staged lift to criminal responsibility age irks experts
Raising the age of criminal responsibility to 14 in Victoria will be staggered under a government plan criticised by advocates and opponents.
‘Reasonable doubt’ of Folbigg’s guilt, inquiry told
Diary entries used to convict Kathleen Folbigg need to be read in context and should not be considered admissions she harmed her children, a hearing has heard.
Australian children spend more hours on small screens
The amount of screen time Australian children spend watching TV, playing games or using the internet has increased dramatically, figures show.
Staff stood down amid probe of child audiology unit
A review of Townsville Hospital's pediatric audiology services is under way and two staff members have been stood down over concerns about clinical standards.
Ditch tobacco vending machines in pubs, lawmakers told
Health groups are urging Queensland politicians to take proposed smoking laws further, but the hospitality industry wants tobacco vending machines left alone.
Qld tobacco and vape amendments ‘too little, too late’
The Queensland government has heard public submissions into the illegal sale of tobacco and rising use of vapes across the state.
Former NSW minister guilty again of abusing minors
Ex-NSW minister Milton Orkopoulos has been found guilty of 26 counts of sexually abusing and supplying drugs to teenage boys.
Cleo kidnapper jailed over little girl’s horror ordeal
The man who admitted abducting four-year-old Cleo Smith from her family's West Australian campsite has been sentenced to more than 11 years in prison.
Disturbing scale of child abuse delivers ‘wake-up call’
One in three Australian children suffer physical abuse while one in four suffer sexual abuse, according to a new nationwide study.
Fewer kids in detention but more support needed
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare youth justice report shows the number of kids in contact with the criminal justice system is falling.
Children ‘not protected’ due to failures by Qld govt
A Queensland watchdog has found that children have not been protected from harm because their parents weren't provided with state government supports.
Victorian youth crime surge won’t sink age-raise plans
Premier Daniel Andrews isn't letting a spike in youth crime sink plans for Victoria to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10.
Archbishop claims $1.9m altar boy payout ‘excessive’
Archbishop Peter Comensoli is appealing a $1.9 million payout to a victim of a pedophile priest, arguing factors outside the abuse caused some of his injuries.
Premier’s kids’ kitty open to children born interstate
Dominic Perrottet believes his new kids' future fund is great policy, but questions linger over who is eligible and whether it will instead increase inequality.
New laws target illicit tobacco and vapes sold to kids
Laws creating a new tobacco licensing scheme, expansion of smoke-free areas and greater clarity on how rules apply to vaping have been flagged for Queensland.
School kids in hospital after eating unknown substance
More than a dozen children are in hospital after they became sick from eating an unknown substance on a school bus.
Kids in ‘deep loss and grief’ after NSW and Qld floods
Country kids' charity Royal Far West is rolling out wellbeing programs in NSW and Queensland schools to help traumatised children in disaster zones.
Couple mentioned on murder charges for baby’s death
Two people charged with the murder of a baby boy at a caravan park south of Brisbane will return to court later this year.
Man who abused stepdaughters jailed for 28 years
A man will serve up to 28 years behind bars after sexually abusing his three stepdaughters as children in their family home in rural NSW.
‘Inadequate’ staffing on night of girl’s sepsis death
A coroner has found Perth hospital staff missed the signs a seven-year-old girl was dying of sepsis because of the pressures caused by "inadequate" staffing.
More than 30 treated after gas leak at Qld school
More than a dozen students have been taken to hospital after a gas leak at a primary school in St George, Queensland.
Document stoush puts jumping castle inquest on hold
The inquest into a deadly primary school jumping castle incident in Tasmania is on hold because the workplace safety regulator won't hand over its reports.
‘Chilling’ gaps in online child exploitation protection
The taking down of online child exploitation material can take days and one social media giant has no Australian point of contact to handle complaints.