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ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Former early childhood teacher quit profession after working in WA, as safety concerns raised
A former early childhood teacher who has worked in several states and territories says she quit the profession after working in Western Australia. The federal Education Department has issued compliance actions to childcare centres across the country which have failed to meet national quality and safety standards. The names of 29 centres have been publicised, with 11 based in WA. Five of them have changed ownership since their National Quality Standards check was last completed. A former childcare worker who is now a lecturer has told the ABC, on the condition of anonymity, she wasn't shocked to see WA make up more than a third of the list. "It didn't surprise me at all," she said. "I've been working in the early childhood sector since the 90s and I've worked in a variety of locations throughout Australia. The former teacher said she felt there was a lack of investment in WA compared to other states, which resulted in a poorer quality of educators and facilities. "There was no consistent routine within the day, everything seemed to be ad hoc, nobody knew what they were doing," she said. "One day I actually came home in tears, shaking and crying … if that's my experience as an adult, I can't imagine what it's like for young children." WA Early Childhood Minister Sabine Winton said she was not concerned about WA making up 11 of the 29 named childcare centres, because more were expected to be named in coming weeks. "I don't think that 11 in Western Australia is an indication that we have any more challenges than any other system, I think that's just them going through the list," she said. Ms Winton said she was confident the providers had enough time and resources to improve. The Australian Childcare Alliance WA said there was no need for the public to panic, as some of the providers had received compliance notices based on assessments made as far back as 2020. "It's really about where are they actually at today. They may not be at that rating today, they may be even exceeding," president Anne-Marrie Chemello told ABC Radio Perth. The former teacher who spoke with the ABC said she believed stronger investment, and more focus on quality staff, is key to lifting WA's standards. "The research shows the higher qualified the educator is, the better quality care and education will be delivered, and we just don't have that in WA," she said. The WA government has invested $33.8 million into a "nation-leading" trial of free full-time school-based kindy at 10 locations across the state, with potential plans for a broader rollout. Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas said bringing child care up to scratch should be a priority. "I'm pleased that the publication of this list has identified the centres that need work to bring them up to the necessary level," he said. "I'll trust that the authorities will ensure that that work is done as soon as possible."
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
ACTU calls AI deal with Tech Council 'a positive first step'
52m ago 52 minutes ago Thu 21 Aug 2025 at 10:05pm Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Play Duration: 7 minutes 15 seconds 7 m
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Wombat carer John Creighton's grand plans for a Southern Highlands sanctuary
John Creighton has spent much of his life studying and caring for bare-nosed wombats. He can imitate the sounds made by the Australian marsupial and knows their behaviour. Mr Creighton, a renowned wombat carer, also loves showing videos he has made highlighting their intelligent, playful nature. "Kids are gobsmacked, they've never seen wombats playing or interacting in these ways," he said. "These are the ones that have been rescued from roadsides, and those videos change minds. Mr Creighton has teamed up with businessman and philanthropist Peter Lewis to make that vision a reality. The two men are leading a project to create the Southern Highlands Wildlife Sanctuary at Bundanoon in the New South Wales Southern Highlands. "It won't be just wombats or wildlife, it will be flora, and the location is perfect for Bundanoon," Mr Creighton said. The pair hopes to purchase a block of land from a developer that has a corridor to the Morton National Park, potentially the main site for the sanctuary. The project includes plans for a wildlife rehabilitation facility and research centre on the main site, and an education classroom at Bundanoon's Quest for Life Foundation. The men are currently raising funds and seeking government support to finance the buildings. "Schools have been asking for this for a long time," Mr Creighton said. Mr Lewis met Mr Creighton after finding a wombat with mange on his Southern Highlands property. Mr Creighton answered the call for help, and they spoke almost uninterrupted for an entire day about their shared passion for the environment. "My early career was in engineering and manufacturing, and I spent a lot of time in business, so it [the partnership with Mr Creighton] does seem a bit of an odd fit," Mr Lewis said. Their conversation led to the dream of creating a new wildlife sanctuary for the Southern Highlands and restoring the local population of one of Australia's most loved marsupials. Like many parts of Australia, Bundanoon was once a thriving area for koalas. But according to NSW BioNet, which holds biodiversity data and is managed by the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, the only record of koalas in the nearby Morton National Park was recorded in 2016. That was prior to the devastating bushfires of 2019-'20. Mr Lewis and Mr Creighton have set themselves the goal of restoring the area's koala population. "We're looking at the barriers to entry — things like the genetic profile of koalas to resist the stress of translocation, to acclimatise them to the trees they'll source their food from and to make sure they're disease free. "We have an advisory board of professors working with us to develop the program and we're confident in the next three years we'll be ready to start the process to release." Mr Lewis acknowledged the recent koala deaths as part of a translocation in southern NSW, and said his organisation was doing extensive work to ensure it did not happen as part of their work. Saul Deane from the Total Environment Centre said any koala conservation work should start by providing healthy habitat and addressing diseases like chlamydia. He said research should also be directed at why a large national park does not accommodate koalas now. "People interested in koala protections must avoid playing into this trap which could turn their area into a koala sink, which is what happens when there are no koala corridors."
