Child Safety Commission of Inquiry to visit Cairns ahead of public hearing in August

The commissioner of a Queensland inquiry tasked with examining the failures and challenges of the billion dollar child safety sector will visit the Far North.

The commissioner of a Queensland inquiry tasked with examining 780 reported cases of missing children under state care, among a number of issues in the billion dollar public sector will visit the Far North this week.

The Commission of Inquiry into Queensland’s Child Safety System will visit Cairns this week to encourage those with concerns about the system to have their say, with their input to inform the first public hearing in August.

Commissioner, the Honourable Paul Anastassiou KC, said the Inquiry team would meet with a range of stakeholder groups including First Nations peoples to understand issues at a local level.

“In regional and remote areas, I am particularly interested in hearing about local factors that can impact the way the child protection system operates in practice, as well as what may be improved, including potentially alternative forms of care for children and young people in the child protection system that are not available currently,” Mr Anastassiou said.

The Commission of Inquiry into the Child Safety System will be led by Paul Anastassiou KC.

Mr Anastassiou said as part of his visit, he would encourage those impacted or had concerns with the child safety system in Queensland to make submissions via the Commission’s website to help inform the public hearing.

“Public hearings are important as they enable the community to participate in, and scrutinise, a good deal of the work of the Commission,” he said.

“I hope that public hearings will encourage interest in the work of the Commission and encourage interested parties to make submissions and potentially give evidence in these open forums.”

The Minister for Child Safety Amanda Camm during the opening remarks at the Commission of Inquiry into the Child Safety System at the Magistrates Court in Brisbane. Picture: NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

The Commissioner’s upcoming visit to the state’s Far North comes off the back of the formal opening into the Commission of Inquiry into the Child Safety System on Wednesday, July 23 in Brisbane.

Following pre-inquiry engagements in Townsville, the opening hearing heard regional areas of Queensland had a high demand for child protection services, had more difficult challenges in providing services from factors such as labour availability and the commission wanted to make it clear from that it would “undertake a whole-of Queensland approach”.

At the formal opening the commissioner said while he was reluctant to speak out on the early emerging themes, one he noted was a disconnection between a child carer’s duties, and their authority to fulfil their obligations.

“This issue potentially arises whenever a person is given responsibility for the direct

day-to-day care of a child or young person, acting, effectively, as that young person’s

parent.”

The inquiry is due to report on 30 November 2026

Originally published as Child Safety Commission of Inquiry to visit Cairns ahead of public hearing in August