Child protection services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children
The over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children continues to be a challenge in child protection systems across all Australian jurisdictions. However, when compared to other Australian jurisdictions, Queensland rates of over-representation are lower than the national average. Latest data shows that:
- 22.5 per 1,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in Queensland were subject to substantiations in 2023-24, which was below the national average of 32.8.
- 55.1 per 1,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in Queensland were subject to care and protection orders as at 30 June 2024, which was below the national average of 63.0.
- 42.9 per 1,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in Queensland were in care as at 30 June 2024, which was below the national average of 50.3.
Rate per 1,000 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children subject to substantiations, year ending 30 June
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queensland | 22.3 | 19.6 | 20.5 | 22.4 | 22.5 |
| Australia | 37.6 | 38.0 | 35.0 | 35.6 | 32.8 |
Source: 2025 Report on Government Services Table 16A.1
Rate per 1,000 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children subject to care and protection orders as at 30 June
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queensland | 46.5 | 50.6 | 53.4 | 53.9 | 55.1 |
| Australia | 61.0 | 62.7 | 63.1 | 63.3 | 63.0 |
Source: 2025 Report on Government Services Table 16A.1
Rate per 1,000 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children in care as at 30 June
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queensland | 36.3 | 39.1 | 40.2 | 41.5 | 42.9 |
| Australia | 49.3 | 50.5 | 49.9 | 50.3 | 50.3 |
Source: 2025 Report on Government Services Table 16A.2
Rate per 1,000 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children admitted into care year ending 30 June
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queensland | 13.2 | 12.4 | 11.9 | 12.8 | 13.0 |
| Australia | 12.0 | 11.5 | 10.4 | 11.6 | 11.2 |
Source: 2023-24 Child Protection Australia Table S5.17.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Queensland's results in national publications can differ to results publicly reported by the department on other sections of this website. This is because measures reported in national publications follow national counting rules, while measures reported in other sections of this website use counting rules that align with Queensland legislation, policy and practice.