Inquiry into the Office of the Children's Guardian
On 5 March 2025 the NSW Government announced the appointment of Kate Eastman AM SC to conduct a special ministerial inquiry into the workplace culture of the Office of the Children's Guardian.
The inquiry is required to provide its report on workplace culture in the Office of the Children's Guardian to the Minister for Families and Communities and Minister for Disability Inclusion by 30 June 2025.
Relevant documents
- Terms of reference for the inquiry (PDF 180.34KB)
- Transcript of Teams meeting (PDF 141.36KB) with staff of the Office of the Children's Guardian on 20 March 2025 held by Ms Eastman.
- Response to questions (PDF 221.7KB) raised following Teams meeting on 20 March 2025.
Submitting information to the inquiry
Employees, former employees and other interested parties may provide information (written or recorded) to the inquiry about their experiences, concerns and allegations here.
The inquiry requests that all information be provided by 5:00pm on Friday 11 April 2025. Information received after this time may not be able to be considered.
If you are unable to provide information by 5:00pm on Friday 11 April 2025 please contact the inquiry prior to this time about whether alternative arrangements can be made. You can contact the inquiry here.
Confidentiality
The inquiry will treat information it receives sensitively.
Information submitted to the inquiry will not be published on this website. The information will be visible to Kate Eastman AM SC and the law firm assisting Ms Eastman.
The inquiry expects that most individuals will be provided with pseudonyms if they are referred to in the report provided to the Minister. Persons whose names are published in the report because it is necessary for the proper conduct of the inquiry will be advised prior to the publication of any material containing their names.
Key dates
The key dates for the inquiry are:
- by 5pm Friday 11 April 2025 – information to be submitted to the inquiry
- 14 April 2025 to 30 May 2025 – the inquiry to hold interviews and consultations
- by 30 June 2025 – Kate Eastman AM SC to provide the report to the Minister
Support
It is acknowledged that this process may raise questions and concerns for some.
Please reach out to:
- the relevant Employee Assistance Program for additional support as needed (for OCG staff)
- Beyond Blue (anyone).
Updates
24 April 2025 – By way of update, the first phase of the inquiry is now substantively concluded. The inquiry is grateful for the large number of submissions it has received and will continue to carefully review the submissions.
If you were unable to provide a submission by 11 April 2025, please contact the inquiry. We will do our best to accommodate any late submissions.
The inquiry will now move to a period of interview and consultations from now until 30 May 2025.
If you have provided a submission to the inquiry, but not indicated you wish to be interviewed or consulted, the inquiry will only be in further contact if there are specific questions about your submission.
If you have indicated that you wish to be interviewed or consulted by the inquiry, you will receive communications from the inquiry team in the coming weeks to arrange a time to meet and the arrangements for the meetings.
May we remind you of the support available while the inquiry is ongoing (see the 'Support' section).