Childcare centres on notice after new safety laws pass parliament
It comes just weeks after horrific allegations of sexual abuse at a centre in Melbourne sparked national outrage, with Labor acting on royal commission recommendations made under the former Coalition government.
Under the laws, a childcare centre's safety will be assessed when it applies for the Childcare Centre Subsidy (CCS).
Centres will also undergo checks to keep the federal funding.
If they fail to meet the standards, the federal government can order them to tighten safety, temporarily halt their CCS money, or even cut off it off altogether.
The new laws also aim to stop childcare operators with a bad history from opening new centres and boosts transparency for parents, allowing them to see if a centre has had conditions put on it or if its CCS application was ever rejected.
Education Minister Jason Clare spearheaded the legislation, which passed the Senate without amendments.
Speaking before it passed, he said the changes were not 'an idle threat'.
Education Minister Jason Clare says new childcare laws 'will close' centres that 'are not up to scratch'. Picture: Martin Ollman / NewsWire
'The intention here is not for centres to close but for centres to raise their standards to meet the quality and safety standards that we expect them to have,' Mr Clare told reporters at Parliament House.
'But it's not an idle threat — if centres don't act, then they will close.
'And I think parents will want to know if their centres are not up to scratch.
'And that's why, as part of this legislation, we're saying that, if my department imposes a condition on a centre and says, 'You've got this time to get up to scratch,' they have to tell the parents at that centre what's happening as well so they've got the information they need to make the decisions they need to make.
'To make sure their children are getting the best-quality care and education they can.'
Earlier this month, Victoria Police revealed Joshua Dale Brown, 26, had been charged with more than 70 offences, including sexual activity in the presence of a child under 16 and possession of child abuse material.
He was a worker at Creative Garden Early Learning Centre in Point Cook and had a working with children check.
Melbourne childcare Joshua Brown was charged with more than 70 offences. Picture Supplied.,
The Australian Education Union welcomed the new laws, saying in a statement they would 'contribute to the urgent and systemic reform needed to restore community confidence'.
'The AEU is deeply distressed by the recent allegations of abuse in early childhood education and care settings,' the union's deputy president Meredith Pearce said.
'Early Learning is important for children's development and every parent must be able to place their trust in safe, secure and supported early learning environments.
'The changes are welcome, but if we want to ensure we are embedding child safe practices and minimising risk to all children, the practice of under the roof ratio's needs to cease, the threshold for quality standards needs to be lifted, and the workforce needs to be qualified, professionally paid and well supported.'
In his comments, Mr Clare thanked the opposition for working to get the changes through so quickly.
'This is a different parliament and a different opposition leader,' he said.
'I think want us to work together on the big things that matter to help Australians.
'And particularly on the childcare matter where it could have been very different.'
He singled out Sussan Ley and his opposition counterpart Jono Duniam for working 'constructively with us'.
'I take my hat off to them,' Mr Clare said.
'This is what Australians want of us, tis is what they expect of us.
'To be honest, it's what they should demand of us.'
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