Portfolio — 5 June 2026

Minister for Education Jason Clare used Question Time on 4 June to present a consolidated account of the government's child-safety reforms in early education and care, marshalling a set of operational milestones that together frame the portfolio's approach as a national enforcement framework rather than a single policy measure [TA-260604-house-97eb5e75391c:s152].

The most concrete actions now in place are a nationwide ban on personal mobile phones in every early education and care centre, a national CCTV trial across centres, and the establishment of a national register covering every childcare worker [TA-260604-house-97eb5e75391c:s152]. On workforce training, Clare reported that mandatory child-safety training has been rolled out with 90 percent of workers completing it within three months; the next tranche is scheduled for August [TA-260604-house-97eb5e75391c:s152].

The enforcement dimension drew significant emphasis. Legislation passed last year granted the department power to cut federal funding to non-compliant centres. Clare reported the consequences to date: six centres have closed, 44 have remediated identified safety problems, and further centres have received notices of intent [TA-260604-house-97eb5e75391c:s152].

Clare also pointed to compliance data as evidence of system-wide effect, stating that the proportion of centres meeting national quality and safety standards is now at its highest recorded level and that state regulator inspections have reached a record high [TA-260604-house-97eb5e75391c:s152].

Clare flagged one cross-portfolio thread: the Attorney-General is working with states and territories to strengthen working-with-children checks [TA-260604-house-97eb5e75391c:s152]. The reference signals that the child-safety framework extends beyond the Education portfolio's direct remit into the Attorney-General's domain, with intergovernmental negotiations ongoing on screening arrangements.