• IHG Hotels & Resorts, Westpac, TikTok, TBWAAustralia, the Y and The GPT Group unite with the Australian Childhood Foundation to establish a cross-sector coalition, On Us: The Australian Business Coalition for Safeguarding Children
• Research by On Us finds more than half (54%) of Australian businesses don't have protocols in place to protect children, and 59% of those working in travel and tourism do not believe that child exploitation could occur within their industry.
• Only 1-in-4 businesses ranked child safeguarding within their top five business priorities

On Us: The Australian Business Coalition for Safeguarding Children, an initiative of the Australian Childhood Foundation, has released new research demonstrating a major knowledge gap among business decision-makers and leaders, with 65% of businesses believing that child exploitation could not occur within their industry. Yet, in Australia, child abuse or neglect is reported by a child every two minutes, with harm extending well beyond the home. 

Speaking to 500 Australian business leaders, the findings are compounded when looking at individual industries. Three-quarters of leaders in banking and finance (76%) and technology, engineering and design (75%) believe there is no potential for child exploitation to occur within their business or industry.  Compared to those working in automotive and manufacturing (58%), medical and healthcare sectors (55%), or retail, entertainment, tourism, hospitality, and transport (59%).

As a result, the study found that less than half of business leaders have policies in place that protect children when engaging with their businesses' goods or services. Especially those not directly working with children, who are often unaware of the harms they can enable.

All businesses can inadvertently enable harm to children, with perpetrators using products, services and infrastructure to access children. The prevalence of child abuse enabled by business is fast-growing and expansive across industries.

Regardless of industry, all businesses can put children in harm's way, for example; technology and data protection, retailers and public spaces or financial services and the ethical tracking of funds.

In response, On Us: The Australian Business Coalition for Safeguarding Children was established in recognition that whilst there have been significant steps in making community sector organisations safer for children, businesses have lagged behind.

Across all industries, just 27% of businesses ranked child safeguarding within their top three business priorities, with workplace safety (71%), mental health and wellbeing (69%) and cyber security (67%) categorised higher by business leaders. 

However, despite this knowledge gap, close to three-quarters (73%) of Australian business leaders say they would be willing to invest in providing resources and staff education to safeguard children within their businesses.

The On Us coalition will work collaboratively with members to undertake responsible business conduct assessments in relation to children and young people, develop tools, policies and practices, and share resources to help enhance organisational child safeguarding within their businesses.

On Us Chair and Australian Childhood Foundation CEO, Dr. Joe Tucci, says “This research further demonstrates that businesses need to be more aware about how their services, products, assets and resources can be used to inadvertently facilitate abuse, exploitation, or harm to children. As leaders, it is on us to be better equipped and prepared to take action to make businesses safer for all our children and young people.”

On Us: The Australian Business Coalition for Safeguarding Children will officially launch 22 November 2023. In collaboration with the Y, the coalition's founding members include industry leaders Westpac, TikTok, The GPT Group, IHG Hotels & Resorts and TBWAAustralia.

The On Us coalition invites expressions of interest from all businesses and organisations that want to learn more. For more information, visit On Us: Australian Business Coalition for Safeguarding Children.