Acknowledgement of Country
Oversight of the Office of the Commissioner for Children and Young People
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Oversight of the Office of the Commissioner for Children and Young People
The Commissioner for Children and Young People is an independent statutory authority established under the Commissioner for Children and Young People Act 2006 (the Act). The Act outlines the functions and role of the Commissioner, including reporting and accountabilities.
Under Part 6 of the Act, the Commissioner must prepare Annual Reports each year, and it must include financial information as required by the Financial Administration and Audit Act 1985. This process provides for oversight of the activities of the Commissioner. There is also a Joint Parliamentary Standing Committee for the Commissioner for Children and Young People, established under Section 51 of the Act. The function of the Joint Standing Committee is to:
(i) Monitor, review and report to Parliament on the exercise of the functions of the Commissioner for Children and Young People;
(ii) Examine Annual and other Reports of the Commissioner; and
(iii) Consult regularly with the Commissioner
The Joint Standing Committee provides reports to the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council in this regard.
The Joint Standing Committee was dissolved in early 2025 due the election held in March 2025. During the 2024-25 financial year the Committee met with the Commissioner to review the Annual Report and the work of the Commissioner.
Oversight is also provided by the Estimates and Financial Operations Committee, particularly through Budget Estimates Hearings and approval of the budget appropriation to the Commissioner. The Hearings also discuss the compliance with the Key Performance Indicators
determined by Treasury for the Office of the Commissioner for Children and Young People and which are reported in the Annual Report. The Commissioner has again exceeded the Key Performance Indicator targets in 2024-25.
The Commissioner appeared at Estimates Budget Hearings in 2024-25 and responded to all queries raised. The appropriation was approved.
