At an event hosted by Children’s Rights Queensland (CRQ) and partners, advocates gathered to examine how Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights) and other organisations in Scotland have “made rights real” for children and young people and what those hard-won lessons mean for the Australian state of Queensland.  

In Scotland, years of activism, children and young people’s campaigning and cross-sector cooperation transformed the idea of children’s rights from abstract ideals into binding and operational legal commitments. What began as vague ambitions became concrete frameworks: the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) has been woven into legislation, and government bodies, councils and service providers are now required to consider children’s rights in every decision.  

Queensland participants reflected on familiar challenges: many children and young people still feel excluded from decisions affecting their lives, and children’s rights are often framed as political or administrative extras rather than core to family and community wellbeing. Voices at the event urged a different approach: treat rights as part of good governance, not as optional add-ons.  

Scotland’s success shows that embedding children’s rights requires long-term commitment, systemic change, meaningful participation — and broad public awareness that children’s rights benefit whole societies, not just young people. Queensland’s advocates say: it’s time to follow that lead.