Transport providers and the child safe organisations system

Complying with the Child Safe Organisations Act 2024 as a transport provider

The Child Safe Organisations Act 2024 (the Act) commenced 1 October 2025 and aims to protect Queensland children from harm when they interact with businesses and organisations.

The Act consists of 2 key elements:

the Child Safe Standards, which aim to prevent harm in businesses and organisations
the Reportable conduct scheme, which enables an appropriate response if harm or misconduct happens.

Child Safe Standards and Universal Principle

Transport providers/operators who provide transport services specifically for children are child safe entities and must comply with the 10 Child Safe Standards (the Standards) and Universal Principle.

This includes transport providers who provide school services under contract to the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR), including:

school bus or ferry services
specialist school transport for students with disability (provided in buses, taxis, or booked hire vehicles)
SEQ Urban services or Regional Urban Bus services that include school transport services.

You must also comply if you provide any of the following services:

school transport provided under private arrangements with a school (such as chartered transport for school excursions)
transport provided by schools or childcare centres
taxi and booked hire services provided specifically for children (such as services specifically targeted at teenagers or minors to travel unaccompanied).

Reportable conduct scheme

If a child is in immediate danger, phone Triple Zero (000).

From 1 July 2026, TMR is a reporting entity under the Act. This requires TMR to implement systems to manage reportable conduct under the Reportable conduct scheme (RCS). The Director-General of TMR is the head of the reporting entity.

If you provide the following services, you have obligations under the RCS:

school transport services under contract to TMR
transport services under contract to a reporting entity other than TMR.

Learn more about RCS.

Sector regulators

As a child safe entity providing transport services specifically for children, TMR is your sector regulator. TMR supports providers to understand and meet their responsibilities under the Act, and monitors compliance.

You may also have other sector regulators, like the Department of Education.

Enquiries

For general enquiries about child safe organisations (other than reportable conduct) contact:

your TMR contract manager or local TMR regional office
the Queensland Family and Child Commission (QFCC) via their website, or email enquiries@qfcc.qld.gov.au.

Also consider...

Learn more about child safe organisations on the QFCC website.
Read about TMR's commitment to child safety.

Child Safe Standards and Universal Principle for transport providers

Under the Child Safe Organisations Act 2024 (the Act), child safe entities must comply with the Child Safe Standards (the Standards) and Universal Principle.

This guidance will help you understand and apply each of the Standards. We've also suggested how you can consider the Universal Principle as you apply each Standard. You should apply them in a way that is proportionate to the size of your organisation, the type of service you deliver and where you deliver your service.

Child refers to any person under 18.

How the Standards should be applied

You need to apply the Standards and Universal Principle across your entire organisation. For example, if you provide SEQ Urban bus services to the general public and also provide school services, you need to comply with the Standards and Universal Principle across your organisation.

Your approach should be proportionate. For example, drivers who work directly with children every day might need more in-depth training or more detailed procedures than your workers (as defined in the Act) working in a back-office function. Every person in your organisation should understand your child safe policies and procedures and know what they need to do if they have concerns that harm has occurred.

How you may already be complying with the Standards

Your organisation will already have some aspects of the Standards and Universal Principle in place. This is because you operate in a sector that prioritises safe passenger transport services in Queensland, including services specifically for children. Many of these requirements are captured in the Transport Operations (Passenger Transport) Act 1994 and Transport Operations (Passenger Transport) Regulation 2018, as outlined below:

By meeting operator accreditation and driver authorisation requirements, you and your drivers are also supporting the safety of children on your services.
Responsible duty holders need to have a safety management plan (SMP). The SMP outlines how you manage and support safety during public passenger service activities.
The Code of conduct for school students travelling on buses provides a framework for the safe travel of school students on buses. The Code contributes to meeting some of the Standards.
If you operate under a school service contract, it has requirements that operators must follow for the duration of the contract. Many of these align with the Standards.

This summary (DOCX, 570KB) provides a quick overview of how you may already be meeting the Standards. More detailed information about how you may be meeting the Standards is provided under each Standard.

Understand and apply the Standards and Universal Principle

Use the Queensland Family and Child Commission's (QFCC) self-assessment tool to help you understand and apply the Standards and Universal Principle. It steps through each of the Standards and gives you space to capture what you are already doing so you know where you need to improve.

The following QFCC resources may help you with using the self-assessment tool:

The 10 Child Safe Standards

Work your way through each of the 10 Standards below.

You must apply the Universal Principle as you implement each Standard.

Read more about the 10 Child Safe Standards on the QFCC website.

The Universal Principle

You must provide an environment that promotes and upholds the right to cultural safety of Aboriginal children and Torres Strait Islander children. This means creating environments that make Aboriginal children and Torres Strait Islander children feel welcome, safe, valued, included, and respected.

The Universal Principle applies across all 10 Child Safe Standards, influencing how each Standard is applied.

Start by reflecting on where you are and what you need to do to become culturally safe. You can:

reflect on the cultural safety indicators in the guidelines for implementing the Child Safe Standards in Queensland and identify where you need to take action
ask Aboriginal children and families and Torres Strait Islander children and families who you provide services to about their views on cultural safety in your organisation
action feedback you receive to strengthen cultural safety in your organisation
ask your workers about what they need to strengthen their capability to create a culturally safe environment.

You can also educate yourself and your management team about cultural safety from resources such as courses, workshops, videos, or education from a consultant.

Next steps

Once you have assessed your organisation:

Set time limits for the actions your organisation will take to improve child safety on your services.
Apply the actions you've identified to improve child safety and wellbeing in your services.
Ensure you continually review any policies, procedures and processes you have or develop to ensure continuous improvement, as required under Standard 9.

Also consider...

Read more about the reportable conduct scheme.

Reportable conduct scheme for transport providers

If a child is in immediate danger, phone Triple Zero (000).

From 1 July 2026, the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) is a reporting entity under the Child Safe Organisations Act 2024 (the Act). This requires TMR to implement systems to manage reportable conduct under the Reportable conduct scheme (RCS). The Director-General of TMR is the head of the reporting entity.

Child refers to any person under 18.

Reportable conduct is:

a child sexual offence
sexual misconduct committed in relation to, or in the presence of, a child
ill-treatment of a child
significant neglect of a child
physical violence committed in relation to, or in the presence of, a child
behaviour that causes significant emotional or psychological harm to a child.

TMR-contracted school transport services

If you provide school transport services under contract with TMR and you become aware of an allegation of child abuse or misconduct by your worker (as defined in the Act) you must report the conduct to:

your TMR contract manager
or
the Queensland Family and Child Commission (QFCC), only if the allegation relates to the Director-General of TMR, using Form 2 – Reportable conduct for organisations.

You must also take immediate action to protect any child at risk:

Continue to use your existing complaint and incident reporting processes for responding to harm towards children.
Report reportable conduct through your existing TMR reporting channel.
Don't wait until all details about the conduct are known.
Don't just manage reportable conduct internally—you must also report it to TMR.
Continue to meet any reporting obligations to police, child protection or other authorities.

If you don't have proof or certainty before reporting the conduct, provided as much information as you can. The safety and wellbeing of children must always come first.

More information will be provided directly to TMR-contracted school service transport providers.

Transport services provided under contract to a reporting entity other than TMR

If you provide transport services specifically for children under contract to a reporting entity other than TMR and you become aware of an allegation of child abuse or misconduct by your worker (as defined in the Act) you must report the conduct to:

your reporting entity
or
QFCC, only if the allegation relates to the head of your reporting entity, using Form 2 – Reportable conduct for organisations.

Also consider...

Read more about the Child Safe Standards and Universal Principle.