Member for Robertson Dr Gordon Reid has welcomed the introduction of Federal legislation to lift child safety in early education and care services.
The legislation will give the Federal Government power to cut off funding to childcare centres that don’t meet the National Quality Standard when it comes to safety and quality, where there’s a breach of the law, or where centres are acting in a way that puts the safety of children at risk.
It will also allow Commonwealth officers to perform spot-checks without warning to detect fraud and non-compliance across the sector.
It will be used in close collaboration with states and territories regulating quality and safety under the National Quality Framework.
Speeding up work on a nationwide register of early educators will be on the agenda at the Education Ministers’ Meeting in August, as well as the role of CCTV in centres and mandatory child safety training for educators.
The Attorney-General has also put reform of Working with Children Checks as the first item on the agenda for the Standing Council of Attorneys-General meeting next month.
“I welcome the powers that the Federal Government will have to address childcare centres that are not meeting standards and putting our youngest Australians at risk of harm,” Reid said.
“As a member of the government, I will continue to support action to improve childcare on the Central Coast and across the nation.”
The legislation builds on the work federal and state governments have already done implementing the recommendations of the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority’s Child Safety Review.
These include mandatory 24-hour reporting of any allegations, complaints or incidents of physical or sexual abuse, and restricting the use of personal mobile phones in centres.
Minister for Education Jason Clare said the legislation was not about shutting centres down, but raising standards up.
“This is about making sure the safety and quality in childcare centres are what parents expect, and children deserve,” he said.
“We are determined to do what needs to be done to rebuild confidence in a system that parents need to have confidence in.
“It’s a system that more than a million mums and dads rely on to care for and educate the most important people in their world – their children.”
