STATEMENTS

Ms FRANCE (Dickson) (18:58): I rise today in support of the Early Childhood Education and Care (Strengthening Regulation of Early Education) Bill. I still remember the days I dropped my boys off to day care for the very first time—the anxiety, their tears and my tears. But we leave them knowing they are, in most cases, in good, safe hands.

We leave them knowing that early childhood education is incredibly important for them and their future. We all—not just mums and dads but most Australians—felt sick to our stomachs when we recently heard news of many children being abused by one man in Victoria and of other cases of mistreatment or abuse in other states. Harrowing and traumatic, these were most grievous breaches of trust.

We know that the vast majority of early childhood educators are exceptional educators who put the safety of children first, but one case of abuse, assault or mistreatment is one too many. That is why we in the parliament have moved very quickly this week to introduce legislation to require childcare providers to put safety first and to penalise those providers who don't put children first.

Early childhood education plays a critical role in shaping a child's development and future. A child's experience at day care or child care and their early education can set that child up for a lifetime of learning, health and wellbeing, but they must be safe first. Parents should feel confident their children are well cared for, safe and secure.

The bill gives the Commonwealth the power to cut off funding to early education and childcare centres that are not up to scratch when it comes to safety. This legislation is focused on lifting standards. We know the majority of early childhood educators are hardworking, dedicated and fiercely protective people dedicated to their jobs.

These new laws are intended to raise standards and are targeted at the people who do the wrong thing. I've met so many dedicated early childhood educators in Dickson. You do important work and we need you.

Thank you. Your work not only gives our children the best start in life; it also boosts economic growth by allowing parents to return to the workforce. The reality is that the small number of providers who put profit over safety and who repeatedly fail to meet quality standards and provide a safe environment should not be operating.

It's our responsibility to do everything we can to ensure the safety of our children. This legislation will give the Commonwealth government power to cut off funding to childcare centres that don't meet the National Quality Standard. This includes safety and quality, where there is a breach of the law or where centres are acting in a way that puts the safety of children at risk.

These powers will be used in close collaboration with states and territories, and there's obviously a lot more work to do in that space. The bill will also give authorised officers more power to be able to do their job. Authorised officers can perform spot checks and visit centres unannounced.

I think this is an incredibly important part of the bill. This will assist in detecting noncompliance. We also want to help families make fully informed decisions when choosing an early learning provider for their children.

That's why the bill also expands the Commonwealth's power to publish information about providers that are sanctioned, including the details of conditions that are placed on a provider—something that I think has been desperately lacking in the past. When they're looking at a certain school, all parents obviously do research before they send their child to that school.

Being able to look up the local early childcare provider and see if it's the place where you want to place your child is going to be incredibly helpful. We will also have the first national register of childcare workers so that perpetrators don't just move to another centre. Over a million parents and carers use the childcare system.

They rely on it for care and they put their trust in the system to look after and educate their children. There is always more work to do, particularly in conjunction with the states, but this bill is incredibly important. It is a start.