Australia Announces Sweeping Childcare Safety Reforms After Abuse Scandals

National educator register, mandatory training, phone bans among $320 million package targeting sector

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Aug 22, 2025

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Education Minister Jason Clare Thursday announced the most comprehensive child safety reforms in Australia's early education history, including a national educator register and mandatory training for all workers, after revealing 37 centers have already been put on notice for failing to meet safety standards.

The federal government will invest $189 million alongside more than $130 million from states and territories in response to what Clare called "shocking and sickening" revelations about child safety breaches across the sector.

"We've made some changes to keep our kids safe, but not enough and not fast enough," Clare told reporters following an emergency meeting of education ministers in Sydney. "And that's obvious. And we've all got to step up here if we're serious about keeping our kids safe."

The package represents the largest investment in early childhood safety measures since the National Quality Framework was implemented over a decade ago, affecting more than 15,000 centers across Australia serving over one million children.

37 Centers Face Funding Cuts

Clare announced that 37 centers have been issued notices over the past 48 hours indicating they risk losing government funding unless they meet required safety standards. The centers were identified under new legislation passed through federal parliament two weeks ago giving the government power to cut funding to substandard facilities.

"Without that funding, they can't operate," Clare said. "But I think most parents would accept the argument that if taxpayers' money is going to be invested to operate an early education and care centre, then we expect them to meet those standards and keep our kids safe."

The 37 centers represent facilities that have been failing to meet national standards for seven years, Clare revealed. "Seven years," he emphasized. "So I'm serious about this. This is not an idle threat. Meet the standard or risk being shut down."

National Educator Register

The centerpiece reform establishes Australia's first national register of early childhood educators, to be developed by the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority and piloted in December before rolling out in February 2026.

"It is really quite extraordinary that we don't have that kind of register right now today," said Early Childhood Education Minister Jess Walsh, who joined Clare at the press conference. "The fact that the Victorian police were having to use search and seize powers to go and find paper rosters to figure out where someone had worked, that is just not good enough."

The register will initially contain names and employment locations of workers but will expand to include employment history, disciplinary actions, working with children check status, and information about workers who are prohibited or under investigation.

"Over time, we want to build all of that information into it so we can see employment history, so we can have the information that's needed to identify red flags, to tell us that someone's moving quickly from centre to centre to centre to be able to identify that somebody might be up to no good," Clare explained.

The register requires changes to national law, which Clare said would be fast-tracked through Victorian Parliament as the host jurisdiction for national early childhood legislation.

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Mandatory Safety Training

All workers in early childhood centers, including executives of major operators, must complete mandatory child safety training starting next year under the new reforms. The training will be developed by the Australian Centre for Child Protection with $20 million in Commonwealth funding.

"The boss of an ASX-listed company needs to do the training too," Clare said. "Everybody needs to get this and get the skills that they need."

Clare emphasized the training's importance in identifying predators who target both children and the workers meant to protect them. "Everything we've heard individually and collectively today tells us that perhaps the most important thing we can do is skill up the workforce to be able to identify somebody who is hiding in plain sight, not just grooming kids, but grooming them."

The minister said the government wants to integrate training into regular work schedules rather than requiring after-hours participation. "If we truly recognise this is a profession, this is a serious profession doing some of the most important work in the world, we need to value that properly and build that training into the work that they do."

CCTV Trial and Phone Bans

A national assessment of closed-circuit television systems will begin in October or November across up to 300 centers, with Commonwealth funding supporting installation for small and medium operators, particularly not-for-profit organizations.

Clare acknowledged significant concerns about CCTV implementation, including privacy issues and potential security risks. "We've got to make sure that if this is rolling out in centres, either because the centre chooses to do it or we fund it, that we get it right," he said.

The trial will examine camera placement, data storage protocols, and access controls to prevent creating "a honeypot for bad people," Clare said. Police have advised that CCTV can serve as both a deterrent and investigative tool for addressing child abuse and neglect.

Mobile phone bans will be implemented across all centers starting in September, with active enforcement by state and territory regulators. The measure builds on existing restrictions implemented in Victoria following recent incidents.

Enhanced Monitoring and Transparency

The federal Department of Education will conduct an additional 1,600 unannounced visits annually, primarily focused on fraud detection but with capability to identify safety concerns and report them to state regulators.

"You turn up and you find out that the Commonwealth taxpayer is being defrauded because the child isn't there," Clare said, describing a common fraud pattern. "So that investment helps to make sure that there's less fraud in the system."

Starting in September, parents will have access to more information about their centers through the national Starting Blocks website, including details about regulatory conditions and inspection histories. From November, the site will include information about breaches and enforcement actions.

Clare indicated future reforms may require physical display of regulatory information in center reception areas, though this would require additional legislation expected to be considered at the next ministers' meeting in October.

Workforce Recognition

Despite announcing sweeping safety reforms, Clare repeatedly emphasized support for the early childhood workforce, describing educators as "the most important part" of keeping children safe.

"I want them to know that we see you, that we hear you, that we thank you for the work that you do for us," Clare said. "I'm one of that more than million Aussie mums and dads who rely upon you each and every day."

The minister highlighted last year's 15% pay rise for early childhood educators as contributing to workforce stability and safety. "The safest places are places where people aren't temps or aren't labour hire, but they're permanent and they love working there and they worked there for a long time," he said.

Clare noted the pay increase is showing results, with increased applications and reduced vacancies across the sector.

State and Territory Coordination

The reforms represent unprecedented coordination between federal, state and territory governments, with all jurisdictions contributing funding and committing to implementation.

New South Wales is investing an additional $55 million, Victoria $42 million, and South Australia $22 million, with other states and territories making proportional commitments.

"This is a team effort," Clare said. "Australia expects all of us to work together. They're not interested in excuses. They expect Labor and Liberal, state, territory, federal, all to work together."

Clare thanked federal opposition education spokeswoman Susan Ley and new shadow minister John O'Donoghue for their support. "I had the opportunity to brief the Shadow Minister last night, and we'll brief him on the details of what we've just decided here today, this afternoon," he said.

Implementation Timeline

The reforms follow a rapid timeline:

Mobile phone bans: September 2025
Enhanced parent information: September 2025 (basic), November 2025 (detailed)
CCTV trial: October-November 2025
National register pilot: December 2025
National register rollout: February 2026
Mandatory training: 2026

Clare emphasized the reforms represent initial steps rather than comprehensive solutions. "Is it everything that we need to do? No, of course it's not. But it's the next thing that we must do and that we've agreed to do today."

Broader Context

The announcement comes amid ongoing implementation of other government early childhood initiatives, including three-day guaranteed access starting next year and a $1 billion fund to build centers in underserved areas.

Clare indicated more reforms may follow, noting the government has received the Productivity Commission's report on universal childcare but is not yet ready to announce additional measures.

"There's more to do. I won't be announcing that today," he said.

The minister emphasized the permanent nature of child safety vigilance. "The awful truth is that this work will never end because there will always be bad people who try to poke holes in the system, find vulnerabilities," Clare said. "They focus not just on vulnerable kids, but a vulnerable system. And there are vulnerabilities in the system."

The comprehensive reform package addresses longstanding concerns about oversight gaps in Australia's early childhood sector, which serves more than one million children across 15,000 centers operated by a mix of government, not-for-profit and commercial providers.

Clare concluded by emphasizing the fundamental goal of the reforms: "We're serious about making sure that the paramount, the most important thing in our early education and care system is making sure that our kids are safe."

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