As we work to build the universal early childhood education and care system that works for families and gives children the best start in life, children’s wellbeing and quality early education and care is the top priority.
The Albanese Labor Government is taking action to crack down on unscrupulous early childhood education and care providers and strengthen integrity across the care economy.
Overwhelmingly, children in early childhood education and care are well looked after and the vast majority of providers prioritising child safety and wellbeing.
However, we know that there are a very small number of providers doing the wrong thing – and when it comes to children’s best interests one dodgy operator is too many.
While state and territory governments are responsible for ensuring early childhood providers are meeting minimum standards and operating within the Education and Care National Law, the Commonwealth is able to leverage its significant investment in the sector to improve quality and penalise the small number of providers doing the wrong thing.
The Albanese Government will strengthen Commonwealth regulatory and enforcement powers to deal with providers that put profit over quality and child safety at risk by exploring measures to:
- Prevent providers who persistently fail to meet minimum standards and repetitively breach the National Law from opening new Child Care Subsidy approved services.
- Take compliance action against existing providers with egregious and continued breaches, including the option to cut off access to Child Care Subsidy funding where appropriate.
- Strengthen powers to deal with providers that pose an integrity risk.
- The Albanese Government will consult closely with the sector and with states and territories to ensure these changes don’t negatively impact families and quality providers, only targeting the small number of providers doing the wrong thing.
Unfortunately, when a dodgy operator is detected and removed from one part of the national care economy they sometimes pop up as an operator in another care sector.
To stamp this out the Albanese Labor Government will also investigate stronger cross-sector banning order arrangements to stop people who have breached safety and quality standards in one part of the care economy from operating in other care sectors.
The Commonwealth will work closely with state and territory governments to put these strengthened arrangements in place.
The Albanese Labor Government is undertaking significant reform across the early childhood education and care sector to build a system where children have universal access to high quality early learning.
These reforms are being informed by a number or reports and reviews, along with input from families, the sector and experts.
To learn more about these reforms visit Building a universal early education and care system.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Early Childhood Education Dr Anne Aly
“There’s no room for any dodgy operators in our early childhood education and care sector or in any part of the care sector.
“We’re taking swift and divisive action to ensure child safety and improve quality and in the early childhood education sector. I expect state and territory governments to fulfill their regulatory obligations and ensure early childhood education services in their jurisdictions are meeting our world leading quality standards.
“We know that the overwhelming majority of services and people in the sector do the right thing, but if you’re failing to deliver quality and safe early childhood education you shouldn’t have access to government funding and you shouldn’t be working in the sector.”
Quotes attributable to Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth
“If you’ve done the wrong thing in one part of the care sector, we are going to stop you taking advantage of people in any other area.
“We don’t want to see dodgy providers in the care economy simply pop up in another.
“Cross-sector banning orders will help enable coordination and flexibility in preventing banned entities from operating in other parts of the care economy and I look forward to working with states and territories to make them a reality.”