The concept of community responsibility is not new. In fact, it dates to Alfred the Great, when the people in the community were responsible for all community activity. A person who knew of a crime and did not report it was given the same punishment as the perpetrator. The community met, passed judgment, and imposed punishments. Thus, the concept of community responsibility is not a Marxist one, as some people currently believe. The industrial revolution brought increasing mobility and reduced accountability within the community. People abdicated personal and community responsibility for their actions and hired others to take over the role of watching the community. The result was the establishment of police forces. Currently, professionals in different disciplines vary widely in their philosophies regarding the community's responsibility toward children. In addition, the Australian States vary widely in their approaches to child maltreatment. Some restrict mandatory reporting to specific types of professionals. Some professionals view child maltreatment as a crime; others consider it an illness or a welfare matter. Discussions of mandatory reporting should consider whether to favor this form of social control and whether it should be a matter of policy or whether it should be a matter of law, with sanctions for nonreporting.