Working with Children Check / Blue Card (state)
State-issued working with children check required for child-related work.
State and territory law, not a Commonwealth law
Working with children checks are run separately by each state and territory, and a check from one jurisdiction is not automatically recognised in another (Queensland does not recognise interstate checks). Check the rules in each state or territory where you operate.
Who must comply
In Queensland: paid employees, volunteers, trainee students and business operators in the 18 regulated employment and 15 regulated business categories, and the organisations that engage them. Other states and territories apply their own working with children laws.
What triggers it
Starting paid or volunteer work, or operating a business, in a regulated child-related category in Queensland.
When due
Before the person starts regulated work: card or exemption-card application in place and the person linked to the organisation. Renewals may be lodged up to 16 weeks before expiry, and a reminder is sent 10 weeks before. Self-employed operators notify changes within 7 days.
Evidence required
Employee register for every business operator, paid employee and volunteer (name, date of birth, whether a card is needed, application status, card number and expiry); identity checks; portal link and delink records; restricted employment declarations for anyone relying on an exemption; responses to information requests.
Max penalty
Queensland, at $172.70 a penalty unit from 1 July 2026: running a regulated business without a card, up to 500 penalty units ($86,350) or 5 years' imprisonment; letting a worker start without a card or link, or employing a disqualified, negative-notice or suspended person, up to 200 penalty units ($34,540) or 2 years; failing to keep the employee register or answer an information notice, up to 50 penalty units ($8,635).
Who must comply with this? The applicability test by industry, business structure and size.
Summary
Working with children checks are run separately by each state and territory, and Queensland does not recognise checks issued elsewhere. Queensland's check is the blue card, regulated by the Working with Children Check Act 2000 and the Working with Children (Risk Management and Screening) Regulation 2020 and run by Blue Card Services. A blue card or exemption card is required for anyone in regulated child-related work or business: there are 18 categories of regulated employment and 15 of regulated business. The check goes beyond a police check to disciplinary, child protection, domestic and family violence and interstate check information, and card holders are monitored daily. Organisations carry their own duties: confirm a valid card and identity before work starts, link workers through the Organisation Portal, keep an employee register, never engage a restricted person, and answer Blue Card Services' information and audit requests.
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Frequently asked questions
- Who must comply with Working with Children Check / Blue Card (state)?
- In Queensland: paid employees, volunteers, trainee students and business operators in the 18 regulated employment and 15 regulated business categories, and the organisations that engage them. Other states and territories apply their own working with children laws.
- What triggers Working with Children Check / Blue Card (state)?
- Starting paid or volunteer work, or operating a business, in a regulated child-related category in Queensland.
- When is Working with Children Check / Blue Card (state) due?
- Before the person starts regulated work: card or exemption-card application in place and the person linked to the organisation. Renewals may be lodged up to 16 weeks before expiry, and a reminder is sent 10 weeks before. Self-employed operators notify changes within 7 days.
- What is the maximum penalty for Working with Children Check / Blue Card (state)?
- Queensland, at $172.70 a penalty unit from 1 July 2026: running a regulated business without a card, up to 500 penalty units ($86,350) or 5 years' imprisonment; letting a worker start without a card or link, or employing a disqualified, negative-notice or suspended person, up to 200 penalty units ($34,540) or 2 years; failing to keep the employee register or answer an information notice, up to 50 penalty units ($8,635).
- What evidence is required for Working with Children Check / Blue Card (state)?
- Employee register for every business operator, paid employee and volunteer (name, date of birth, whether a card is needed, application status, card number and expiry); identity checks; portal link and delink records; restricted employment declarations for anyone relying on an exemption; responses to information requests.
Source: https://www.qld.gov.au/jobs/blue-card/system/rights-and-obligations/organisations. Rules Mate is not a law firm. Always verify against the live regulator source before acting.