The Australian government is at a critical juncture regarding childcare safety reform, following mounting concerns over the adequacy of current working-with-children checks. Key stakeholders, including Anne Hollonds, the National Children’s Commissioner, and Michelle Rowland, the Minister for Early Childhood Education, have expressed that a national register of educators is essential to enhance safety measures. This proposed reform aims to address significant gaps that have long existed in the system, especially amidst recent compliance actions against childcare centres.
As CEO Hollonds made clear during a recent launch event, the national register must serve as the bedrock of the proposed reforms. She called on Congress to move quickly to put stronger safeguards in place. This will hold anyone who works with our children to a higher standard of character and safety. Hollonds cited the legislation’s need for improvement. It’s still very rudimentary and only tracks in-depth for prior police convictions,” he added.
FAMM recently applauded Rowland’s commitment to closing loopholes abuse by child abusers. He’s not doing it alone — he’s working in lockstep with state and territory governments to make sure this becomes a reality. Her first prediction when the matter came to light was that fixing the working-with-children checks would take at least 12 months. She was clear that the aim isn’t to wholesale change each state’s system. Rather, she wants to see more uniformity among jurisdictions.
National Register and Character Checks
The introduction of a national register of educators is a big change to how working-with-children checks are described. The Coalition has made this one of their top priorities, providing well-rounded and extensive support for the initiative. It’s designed to go beyond the myopic police view to a broader evaluation of character. Advocates view this amendment as key to establishing a safer environment for children in all educational facilities.
Julian Leeser, a member of the Coalition, articulated the need for a “fit and proper person” test as part of this reform. This encapsulated method ensures that people have no criminal record moving forward. It makes sure they have the same integrity, character, and disposition required to work with children. These are simple and impactful measures that would prevent potential child abusers from slipping through the gaps in current background checks.
Hollonds highlighted the importance of robust evaluation. She proposed to introduce stricter referee background checks and make mandatory child safety education a prerequisite on top of basic early childhood educator training. She hopes such improvements make protection more robust not only in the early childhood space but in other sectors.
Compliance Actions and Future Steps
As of last Friday, 30 childcare centres had compliance actions taken against them. This change demonstrates a continued lack of willingness from them to follow safety laws. Beginning Tuesday, the department is required to publicly post the names and locations of these centres on its website. This change represents a positive step towards ensuring a meaningful commitment to transparency when addressing compliance shortfalls.
Our education ministers meet this Friday. From there, they’ll talk about next steps towards reforming the childcare system for good, including how we can bring a national register to life. The next National Solution’s meeting represents a growing recognition by state and local government officials of the need to address this urgent problem and develop real solutions.
For all that progress, Anne Hollonds has welcomed these first changes as a promising start and reiterated that there’s much more to do. She noted that the working-with-children checks are still one to go on an ongoing basis which requires urgent attention. The strength of the government’s commitment will be truly tested as they progress implementation of these reforms.
Calls for Broader Inquiry
Now the Greens have come into the picture. They are calling for a Senate inquiry into the quality and safety of early childhood education and care. Senator Steph Hodgins-May criticized the government’s slow response, stating that “real action means more than introducing improved checks a decade after it was recommended.” Her comments illustrate how frustrated advocates have all grown. They know that urgent action is needed now to protect all children.
Hodgins-May emphasized the need to address the systemic issues with the industry. She focused on the need to rein in for-profit cowboys who value profits over quality and care, while tackling a workforce in crisis. In sum, this commentary illustrates the greater plight of the childcare industry beyond regulatory loopholes.
