The man tasked with protecting millions of children has been dismissed from his job after a scathing inquiry found he oversaw an “inept” complaints process and did not declare potential conflicts of interest.
Steve Kinmond, the New South Wales children’s guardian, has been removed from his position after a report deemed the Office of the Children’s Guardian (OCG) “not a psychologically safe workplace”.
The inquiry found Kinmond was also regularly in contact with a person seeking a working with children check, without declaring it as a conflict of interest, and later used his powers to intervene to grant the check against the advice an OCG lawyer.
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The inquiry, led by the barrister Kate Eastman SC, reported its findings to the NSW minister for families and communities, Kate Washington, last month. On Wednesday, Washington tabled the report in the state parliament.
Washington announced Kinmond had been fired for alleged “misbehaviour”.
One of the allegations concerned Kinmond’s intervention in a working with children’s check for an individual named as Person B. The report found he “failed to maintain proper and appropriate boundaries”, creating “a real risk of a conflict of interest”.
Between 4 June 2024 and 15 July 2025, Kinmond exchanged 357 text messages with Person B and made 90 outbound telephone calls, totalling more than six hours, with some contact occurring during evenings and weekends.
Kinmond told Guardian Australia he rejected that he had a conflict of interest and characterised the relationship and communication as “purely professional” in nature.
“I provided a detailed account of the actions I took in this matter … I believe that the decision I took to grant a [working with children] clearance is consistent with what the law required.” he said.
The report also found Kinmond had failed to disclose a potential conflict of interest with a senior consultant in the industry, named as Person A. Kinmond rejected that allegation, saying he made it clear to senior staff of his personal relationship with the individual, and that in the “small number of occasions where there was a potential conflict, it was appropriately managed”.
The inquiry also examined Kinmond’s handling of an anonymous complaint about a workplace party. The report said media had “described the event as a ‘baby shower’ which included games described as sperm-themed and inappropriate”.
Kinmond did not attend or know the event was being held, but the report characterised his response to a complaint about the event – the details of which are contained in a confidential section of the report – as “inept”.
Kinmond also rejected this allegation, saying his response had “sought to balance the interests of all staff impacted by this matter”.
The inquiry received nearly 100 submissions and listened to more than 70 current and former employees of the agency.
Kinmond agreed to step aside from his role as the state’s child safety watchdog in March while the allegations against him were investigated by the inquiry.
Before he was appointed the children’s guardian in 2022 by the then Perrottet government, Kinmond was the chief executive of the Association of Children’s Welfare Agencies. He also previously served as a NSW deputy ombudsman.
At the time, Guardian Australia reported Kinmond had not formally applied for the $400,000-a-year position as children’s guardian. He was appointed after an independent recruitment process was sidelined.
Kinmond told Guardian Australia he only learned of his removal when journalists contacted him on Wednesday.
In a statement on Wednesday, Washington acknowledged the inquiry had been “a difficult time” for many staff at the OCG, including the 70 current and former employees who engaged with the inquiry.
“They perform critically important work to protect children and young people, and I thank them for their commitment and their service.”
The acting children’s guardian, Rachael Ward, will continue to lead the office until a new guardian is appointed.
– With AAP
