Forget institutions: New data exposes the real threat to Australian children’s safety

One in four young Australians aged 16 and 24 are physically abused as a child by someone in their family, a harrowing new deep-dive into childhood physical abuse has revealed.

For most victims, the abuse began before they turned 10.

While it has long been known that one in three Australians experience physical abuse in childhood, new research conducted by two leading Queensland universities goes further – exposing who is most likely to be responsible, and when.

Children are 20 times more likely to be abused by a family member than by someone in an institution, such as a teacher, coach or religious figure. Girls face slightly higher rates of family abuse than boys.

Abuse by both parents is the most common pattern for children under 10.

“The finding that both parents are likely to abuse their children warrants consideration,” research assistant Monica Madzoska of Curtin University said.

“When children are being abused by both parents, we need to think about who the child will seek help from. This is where extended family members, teachers and education staff can assist.”

After age 10, fathers emerge as the predominant single perpetrator.

Mother-only abuse decreases with age for boys, but remains steadily high for girls.

Physical abuse includes hitting, pushing and kicking, as well as beating, punching, choking and burning.

According to the research, an act doesn’t need to leave a mark to count as abuse.

‘Parents need support, not blame’

Mrs Madzoska said parents need support, not blame and stigmatisation.

“Parenting can be a tough job and stress can be exacerbated by a range of broader societal factors such as economic pressures, housing instability, mental health and parents’ own family history,” she said.

“Current efforts focus on responding to abuse when it occurs. This study highlights the critical need to focus on upstream prevention to reduce harm before it occurs.”

Two child protection advocates, both survivors themselves, said the findings were no surprise.

Conor Pall, an advocate with the Australian Childhood Foundation, first disclosed his abuse at age 14.

He has now been appointed to the Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Advisory Council to advise Minister for Social Services Tanya Plibersek.

“We tell children to speak up, as though speaking up is the hard part. For me, the harder lesson was what happened after I did,” he said.

“Child protection contacted the person hurting me, and the violence escalated.”

He said children need ways to seek help independent of adults.

“I was 16 when I rang a family violence service. I was asked whether I was a perpetrator, then told I needed a parent’s permission to access support. It’s absurd, but it’s the reality of how we’ve designed too many of our services.”

Mr Pall points to a recent Victorian inquiry that examined the deaths of 35 children who had collectively been reported to child protection 267 times.

Of those reports, 231 were closed at intake or investigation, meaning no intervention occurred.

Even children who do reach services can face long delays, he said.

“At the moment, children and young people in some parts of our country are waiting up to three years for therapy they need to recover.

“At the Australian Childhood Foundation, we’re calling for specialist youth family violence services in every region of our country, combining practical help to get safe with long-term therapeutic support to heal.”

Prevention must also be part of the response, he said, which means “investing in parenting support, addressing the pressures families face and having an honest conversation about why Australian law still permits hitting children in the name of discipline.”

Are child protection departments doing enough?

Jason Blyth said he had his first psychology appointment at two years old, after surviving an attempt on his life by his mother. By 15, he had seen close to 20 clinicians.

Mr Blyth, raised in New Zealand and now based in New South Wales, is a national child protection advocate and founder of the Child First Movement. He said abuse shapes how children see themselves.

“Whatever is modelled for us is what we see for ourselves,” he said.

In 2024-25, the NSW child protection system received nearly 250,000 at-risk reports. Yet 65 per cent were closed due to a lack of staff and resources to handle them, Mr Blyth said.

“The departments are failing, they are not responding to these reports,” he said.

Mr Blyth said the problem is not only resources but a systemic lack of oversight.

In Australia, each state has its own child protective service. No single national body tracks whether recommendations are implemented, identifies repeated failures or holds child protection systems to account when they fail.

Australia can identify failure, he said, but “where is the accountability?”

His fundraiser to build a national protection movement has raised $27,000 of a $150,000 target.

National Children’s Commissioner Deb Tsorbaris acknowledged there was more to be done.

“This research shows that governments, communities and families across Australia have a lot of work to do to ensure that all our kids are safe, healthy and have opportunities to thrive,” she said.

We have a range of responses and programs in place which are helping to address abuse within families, but they’re not as effective as they need to be due to a disturbing lack of co-ordination across our health, mental health, education, justice and social services.

“What we need is clear national leadership to drive the change we need and more accountability across all our governments to ensure the rights and wellbeing of our children and young people get the priority and resources they deserve.”

If you are finding things difficult or need support, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4646 or contact Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or 13 YARN on 13 92 76. In an emergency, call triple-0.

Read the story via Herald Sun.