As a real estate agent working in Western Sydney, I never imagined my job would place me at the crossroads of children’s safety and unimaginable harm. But over the past 12 years, that’s exactly where I’ve found myself—time and time again.

I've felt obligated to report multiple families where the wellbeing of children was gravely at risk. In one case, my report led to the urgent removal of three children from a dangerous home... the others led to the much needed ongoing support for the family that they didn't realise was available to them. 

Where would these children be if I decided it wasn't my business, or it wasn't my responsibility to speak up—or worse, if I hadn’t been brave enough to trust my gut.

Real estate agents walk through the front doors of people’s lives. We don’t see the polished versions shown to the world—we see the truth. The empty cupboards, the holes in walls, the bruises, the soiled bedding..... even the fear in a child’s eyes. The signs that something is terribly wrong.

Yet right now, we are not legally protected or obligated to report these dangers. Despite the raw access we have into homes and family life, real estate agents are not recognised as mandatory reporters under the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998 in NSW. This is a dangerous oversight—one that puts vulnerable children at further risk.

Why are we not part of the safety net?

Teachers, doctors, and police officers are all mandatory reporters—and rightly so. But we, too, are in the homes where early warning signs appear. We, too, carry the weight of what we witness. And we, too, deserve the right—and the duty—to act without fear.

In 2022–23, nearly 180,000 children across Australia came into contact with the child protection system—that’s one in every 32 children. This isn’t just a statistic; it’s a national crisis. Behind every number is a child facing fear, instability, or harm. We must act before another child becomes just another case file.

We are calling on the NSW government to amend the Act and formally include licenced real estate agents as mandatory reporters (after the appropriate training is included in our formal training and  ongoing cpd). This change would give us the legal backing we need to report without hesitation—and possibly save lives in the process.

Please, stand with us. Sign the petition. Share this message. Use your voice to protect those who don’t yet have one.

Because a safe home should mean just that: safe.

And sometimes, it takes someone walking through the door to see what others have missed.

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