The new laws mean that from today, Monday 31 August 2020, anyone aged 18 or older and involved in child-related activities (such as coaching or refereeing touch football) must have a valid Blue Card, unless they are exempt under the law.
Your Blue Card must also be linked correctly to the organisation you are involved with, that being your club (if you are volunteering or coaching/managing a team) or "Townsville Touch Football" if you are a referee.
Blue Card Services, the Queensland Government department responsible for overseeing the service, has made it easier to complete the process, introducing a new online application portal.
The portal allows you to create and manage your Blue Card application, as well as quickly link your card to all organisations you are involved with.
To use the online portal to create/manage/renew/link your card, you will need to:
- Visit https://my.bluecard.qld.gov.au;
- Create a profile (or login if you have already created one) - take note of the "account number" you receive at the end of the registration process;
- Let your club (or TJT) know your account number (you will receive it via Email and/or SMS);
- Your club must use your account number to link you to their records.
- Once linked, you can register and/or renew your card online!
Paper forms are still available on the Blue Card Services website (click here), but we suggest completing the online process to ensure your card is approved as soon as possible.
Blue Card Services have plenty of resources and videos available to help you understand the new laws and process, and you can access more information from their website - https://bluecard.qld.gov.au.
You can also phone the Blue Card Services help line on 1800 133 611 or email info@bluecard.qld.gov.au for assistance.