Rebekah Kilpatrick grew up in Kaurna Country in South Australia and now resides in Ngunnawal Country in Canberra where she is the Head of the National Office for Child Safety (National Office). Rebekah leads a team dedicated to the delivery of national reforms aimed at promoting children’s wellbeing and protecting children from harm, with a particular focus on child sexual abuse. Rebekah has worked with the National Office since it was established in July 2018 as a result of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
Rebekah has significant Commonwealth public policy experience across a range of agencies including the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Attorney-General’s Department, the Department of Home Affairs and the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Her professional experience has in large part focused on protecting our most vulnerable – including work on issues such as children’s policy, human rights policy, and human trafficking, slavery and forced marriage policy and legislation. Rebekah also has experience in law enforcement and national security policy and legislation.