Latest news with #qualitystandards
SBS Australia
04-07-2025
- Politics
- SBS Australia
Fast-tracked spot checks, funds-stripping powers but 'no silver bullet' to childcare woes
Childcare centres failing to meet standards could face random "spot checks" under expanded powers the federal government will move to legislate soon after parliament returns, Education Minister Jason Clare says. The legislation, Clare said, would give his department the power to pull funding from childcare centres "persistently failing" to meet safety and quality standards. "One of the big weapons that the Commonwealth has, probably the biggest, is the funding that we provide to childcare centres ... if they don't get it, they can't operate," he told Sky News on Friday. Centres not meeting minimum standards would also be unable to expand, Clare said, adding the bill would also allow department officials to make unannounced visits to centres where there is suspected fraud. "They won't need a warrant," Clare said. "They won't need the police to come with them when they're investigating fraud in childcare centres." Brown, 26, had a valid working with children check and was not known to police or subject to any complaints before his arrest in May. Every state and territory maintains separate working with children schemes with different rules and requirements. Victoria, Queensland, and NSW have all committed to reviewing or tightening their regimes, and Clare confirmed plans to strengthen the checks will be discussed at a meeting of state and federal attorneys-general in August. He said they would examine how to improve the criminal record check system. "Part of it is about information sharing across borders," Clare said. "Part of it is about making sure that it's updated in near real time." But Clare warned there was "no silver bullet" to solving problems in the sector. "There's a whole bunch of things that we need to do, and this work will never end," he said. "There are always going to be more things that we need to do here because there's always going to be people who are going to try and break through the net to try to do the dastardly things that we've seen other people do." Education Minister Jason Clare said early childhood education ministers would discuss the use of CCTV cameras at centres when they meet next month. Source: AAP / Dominic Lipinski/PA Clare also said that early education ministers would discuss the installation of CCTV cameras at childcare centres when they meet next month, following the announcement by childcare chain Goodstart Early Learning that it would install them across its 653 centres. "One of the things that having a CCTV camera in a childcare centre can do is if there's somebody that's potentially up to no good, they know the camera's there," Clare said. "It means it's less likely that they're going to act, so it's one of the things that we're looking at right now." It comes as a former royal commissioner has criticised governments for dragging their feet on creating a national regime for Working With Children Checks (WWCC). The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse called on the federal government in 2015 to "facilitate a national model" for WWCC. Robert Fitzgerald, one of five members of the royal commission, said the recommendation remained unfulfilled. "My view is that is shameful," the now-age discrimination commissioner told the Australian Associated Press. "Ten years on, that job should have been completed and the fact that it isn't means there are gaps in our child safeguarding regime." Clare said earlier this week the reforms had taken "too bloody long". — With additional reporting by the Australian Associated Press
ABC News
24-06-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Crackdown on SA childcare centres finds 'half not meeting standards'
A crackdown on childcare centres in South Australia found half were not meeting national quality standards, a parliamentary committee has heard. Giving evidence in the budget estimates committee on Monday, Education Minister Blair Boyer and his department heads said $7.11 million in additional funding had been given to the Education Standards Board over three years. The funding was the result of a recommendation from the Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care, and has allowed the board to more than double the number of compliance officers from 18 to 39 full time equivalents. Acting chief executive of the Education Standards Board, Sean Heffernan, told the committee that before the funding increase, some services had gone for up to a decade without being assessed. "There has been such a big gap between assessment and rating visits so where there has been a service that hasn't been assessed or rated potentially between eight or 10 years," he said. "What we were finding though was a large number of services at that time, given the gap between the assessment ratings, 50 per cent of those were receiving a 'working towards'." There are four rating categories under national quality standards: "significant improvement required", "working towards national quality standard", "meeting national quality standard" and "exceeding national quality standard". Mr Heffernan said the number of services receiving a "working towards" rating had dropped since the initial crackdown. "What we have done is introduce a pre-assessment and rating visit, which is around three months before their assessment and rating actually commences, which then determines areas of compliance or areas that might need focus," he said. "What that has done is reduce that significantly down to 17 per cent." But Mr Heffernan said 17 per cent is still above the national average of nine per cent. The committee was also told there had been an increase in childcare staff being banned from practising. In the 2023-24 financial year, three staff were issued with prohibition notices and two entered into enforceable undertakings. In this financial year, five staff were issued with prohibition notices and nine entered into enforceable undertakings. Education Minister Blair Boyer said that increase was also because of the increase in assessments. "The number of visits to early childhood education and care services increased by 72 per cent on previous years," he said. "With 2024-25 seeing a further 23 per cent increase on top of 2023-24 through increased assessments and ratings and introducing some proactive monitoring." Shadow Education Minister Heidi Girolamo said the numbers were concerning and asked for more details about which childcare centres the action related to. "It's one thing to be able to go through and do these assessments," she said. "It's the next steps that are important to make sure these childcare centres are given enough support to make sure that they can make these improvements to make sure children are kept safe," she said. Mr Boyer told the committee the Office for Early Childhood Development has a "quality uplift program" to help raise standards at childcare centres.
Times of Oman
23-06-2025
- Business
- Times of Oman
Omani Standards Store is an effective tool supporting the strategy for diversified and prosperous economy
Muscat: The Omani Standards Store has emerged as one of the strategic projects contributing to strengthening quality infrastructure and enhancing efficiency standards for quality and reliability across various production and service sectors. This digital platform forms a fundamental pillar in Oman's quality infrastructure system through a unified and advanced portal providing thousands of national, regional and international standards, offering direct and rapid access for all relevant parties including producers, importers, exporters and regulatory bodies to the latest approved technical and regulatory standards. The store serves as an effective tool supporting Oman's strategy towards a diversified and prosperous economy based on innovation and quality. It represents a genuine addition to the business and investment environment by providing a reliable standard reference that helps Omani institutions excel in delivering high-quality products meeting global market requirements, maintaining consumer confidence, and supporting sustainable development initiatives across various fields. Eng. Imad Khamis Al Shukaili, Director General of Specifications and Metrology at the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, affirmed that the store represents a qualitative leap in enhancing quality and reliability culture in Oman, reflecting the ministry's commitment to digital transformation and providing advanced solutions that keep pace with global developments in this field. He added that the store serves as an integrated platform providing a supportive environment for industrial and commercial institutions and consumers by making standard specifications easily and transparently available, which contributes to improving the quality of Omani products and enabling them to compete in regional and international markets. Al Shukaili pointed out that what distinguishes the store is its partnerships with international organizations such as the International Organization for Standardisation (ISO), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and the GCC Standardisation Organization (GSO), which contribute to issuing specifications compatible with international standards and support the national economy in achieving sustainable development goals. The Omani Standards Store is part of the developed identity of quality infrastructure in Oman, reflecting the government's approach towards enhancing digital transformation and facilitating procedures for obtaining specifications. It provides comprehensive and regularly updated technical content according to global best practices, allowing users from inside and outside Oman to access Omani, Gulf and international standard specifications through a unified window, which helps facilitate trade exchange processes and ensure compliance with quality standards and product safety in markets. The store contains more than 28,427 specifications classified to cover all vital sectors in Oman, providing specialised content in various fields including 4,855 specifications in chemistry and textiles, 6,766 in the mechanical sector, 5,731 in electricity, 1,810 in metrology, 2,075 in food and agriculture, 2,260 in construction and building, 1,367 in oil and gas, 2,166 in information, 1,171 in health, in addition to 226 specifications in management systems. This precise sectoral classification enables users immediate access to relevant specifications for each sector, enhancing application efficiency and improving institutional and industrial performance quality. The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion launched the upgraded version of the Omani Standards Store in December 2024 as part of its continuous efforts to develop quality infrastructure and support Omani products in local and global markets. -ONA
Asharq Al-Awsat
21-06-2025
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Saudi Tourism Ministry Intensifies Inspection Efforts in Summer Tourist Destinations
The Saudi Ministry of Tourism has intensified its inspection efforts across several summer tourist destinations in the Kingdom, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Saturday. These inspections aim to ensure that hospitality facilities hold the necessary licenses from the ministry and comply with approved quality standards, coinciding with the launch of the Saudi Summer season. The inspection tours covered multiple regions and cities, including Aseer, Al-Baha, Taif, and Jeddah, over the past two months. The ministry's inspection teams conducted more than 2,800 visits to summer destinations. The visits assessed the quality of services provided, the availability of safety requirements, and cleanliness levels, while also confirming that facilities had obtained the necessary licenses to operate. The ministry emphasized to all hospitality establishments, including private facilities, the importance of delivering high-quality services and adhering to its approved regulations. It stressed that violators will face penalties, which may include fines of up to SAR1 million, closure of the facility, or both.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Japan's sportswear ASICS to ramp up India manufacturing to 40%
This decision aligns with the current regulatory environment in India, which has compelled international brands to halt footwear imports due to new quality standards, Reuters reported, citing a senior company executive. The Indian government now requires all footwear, whether produced domestically or abroad, to meet specified quality criteria and obtain certification. The government has recently imposed a requirement for a Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) licence on 24 different footwear products. This mandate encompasses footwear crafted from various materials including leather, rubber, polymers, and others. The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has issued three Quality Control Orders (QCOs). These orders have brought a total of 27 products under the mandatory umbrella of BIS certification. ASICS, which has ceased its imports in response, acknowledges that importing footwear from any nation is currently impracticable without this government approval. "To address this critical situation, we are strategically developing local production capabilities," ASICS India managing director Rajat Khurana told the news agency. The company achieved a 30% local production rate for the fiscal year 2024-25, meeting the government's requirement that allows international brands to open and operate their single-brand retail outlets in the country. With approximately 125 stores operated through franchise partners, ASICS is preparing to launch its first company-owned store in India this year, with potential sites being evaluated near the cities of Delhi and Mumbai. Over the next few years, the brand intends to establish additional owned stores. It also plans to open three new franchise stores monthly until the year's end. For the fiscal year 2024-25, ASICS anticipates a revenue increase of between 35%-37% in India, building on a 26% rise from the previous fiscal period that resulted in revenues reaching Rs4.28bn ($49.74m). ASICS' growth is believed to be partly fuelled by India's expanding interest in fitness and sports like tennis and pickleball among the wealthier urban population. In the first quarter of fiscal 2025, ASICS recorded net sales of Y208.3bn, a 19.7% increase from the same period a year ago. "Japan's sportswear ASICS to ramp up India manufacturing to 40%" was originally created and published by Just Style, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
