As a member of the Victorian Government Standing Committee on Child Protection, I worked with sector experts including the late Honorable Justice John Fogarty and Emeritus Professor Dorothy Scott to inform the state government policy response to the Daniel Valerio inquiry which culminated in the introduction of mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect. A key lesson from this time is that legislation and intent is not enough. Mandatory reporting alone does not deliver safety for children as evidenced by the continuing rise in the incidence of child abuse and neglect.