It is now a little over ten years since the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) and the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (now the Australian Human Rights Commission) released the landmark report Seen and Heard: Priority for Children in the Legal Process(ALRC 84, 1997). Seen and Heard represented the culmination of a major two-year...

A taxpayer-funded parental leave scheme of 18 weeks at the adult minimum wage ($544 per week) would benefit around 140,000 mothers and their newborn children each year and yield community-wide gains in the long term, according to this draft report. The scheme also provides for two weeks’ paid leave to over 225,000 eligible fathers. The...

This report includes information on important issues such as mental health, disability, risk factors for chronic disease, mortality, education, homelessness, crime, jobless families and family economic situation. Particular attention is given to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and youth, and to how Australia compares internationally.This report delivers the latest and most reliable information on...

This report explores what researchers have learned about producing sustainable change for families and young children, drawing on evidence from published research and the experiences of Communities for Children (CfC) projects.

This Fact Sheet was prepared to coincide with National Child Protection Week, 7-13 September 2008. It presents an overview of child protection in Australia, including how child abuse and neglect is defined, its prevalence, the costs of child maltreatment, and prevention and early intervention strategies.