Commonwealth child safe framework statement of compliance

Geoscience Australia strongly supports the Commonwealth Child Safe Framework, which sets the minimum standards for creating, maintaining and embedding behaviours and practices that are safe for children. To support a child safe culture, Geoscience Australia undertake regular risk assessments on child safety. We use this assessment to identify, assess and manage child safety risks for activities that involve interaction with children and young people. Our risk rating for child safety risks is low.

Our public-facing Education Centre has well-established processes and a proactive culture to ensure the wellbeing and safety of the children it has contact with each year through visits from school groups. Facilitated by experienced educators, general and custom-made programs are available to suit individual group needs, ensuring the best possible outcome for students. Venue and safety information is distributed to schools prior to visiting the Education Centre and includes a Code of Conduct statement in relation to child safety. The document is available on the Geoscience Australia website.

Our Child Safety Procedures require staff engaged in child-related work, including those in our Education Centre, to obtain and maintain a Working with Vulnerable People (WWVP) registration in accordance with relevant legislation and regulations. Staff working in other roles who may occasionally come into contact with children and young people must also obtain a WWVP registration where contact is expected to exceed two days per year.

Additionally, all staff must comply with the Australian Public Service Code of Conduct when in contact with children in the course of their duties and complete annual security awareness training which includes an overview of our Child Safety Procedures. Our procedures detail the mechanisms for reporting suspected abuse or injury, responding to incidents and handling complaints.

Effective 31 October 2023.