I am bound by laws simply by being an Australia citizen. On top of this, I have responsibilities in my role as a principal of a school. Within this state, I am legally obligated to report issues of harm towards, or neglect of a child, whether they go to my school or to another. I am also legally obligated to act when I believe a child is not being educated, for whatever reasons. The guardian may be a parent, or an aunt, or a minister of immigration but this doesn't change the expectation. The allegations may be distorted or exaggerated. They don't have to be true for me to report. I don't get to make a judgment call on the accuracy of what I hear. I am simply required to let the powers-that-be know, to ensure that allegations are followed up, and then to assist in supporting the child as best I can, if I'm in a position to do so. Everyone has a role to play. Everyone plays their part. Despite the politics of division between educational sectors, largely generated by non-practitioners, I've not yet met a teacher or principal of any school, in any sector, who will not go out of their way to promote the very best of humanity by protecting our children this way.

As a profession, we have many sleepless nights. We anguish over those in our care, challenge each other on the best way forward, hope and pray that a young person makes good calls, and do all we can to develop character, impart wisdom and lead with hope. But what if these children are refugees who have arrived in Australia by boat? And what if their care doesn't fall under the jurisdiction of any state? I am at a loss as to know what we do with the increasing stream of information that suggests there are children coming into Australia who are not being cared for, who are neglected and vulnerable, and who are not being educated, while under our protection. There is no asterisk in child protection law that allows some children to be exempt, and yet these children seem unreachable. I am not arguing the politics of the decision to detain children who arrive on our shores uninvited. I am arguing there are repercussions to this decision that were perhaps unforeseen but knowing what we now know, these must be addressed. As a mandatory reporter in NSW, I must report or I am breaking the law. My role as a protector comes into question. There are two issues here. To whom do I report if the government is the key protagonist? And to whom do I report if these children are being harmed but not in my state? If they are on an island somewhere but still under the care of our nation?

Our legal obligation to child protection never contemplated that we would have a government that would not investigate claims of neglect, nor choose not to protect or educate those children in its care. Nor did it ever consider that some children would appear beyond the arm of the law. I am cognisant that with every day that goes by when I don't act on what I'm hearing about the treatment of children in on or offshore detention centres, reporting to someone who will intervene, fulfilling my legal and moral obligations, I become complicit in the actions and approach of this nation. For the first time in my life, I am hearing of children being neglected and uneducated, and can do nothing. With this knowledge and understanding comes a growing sense of deep anger about this position in which I now find myself. Morally and legally, my role is to protect. As a principal, as an adult, I will not give up hope on any child. And I will not give up hope for the future of the children who, through no fault of their own, are in detention under the care and protection of this country. As Lieutenant-General David Morrison once said, "the standard you walk past is the standard you accept". And I do not accept this. Briony Scott is principal at Wenona School.