Portfolio — 30 July 2026

The Minister for Education advanced the next phase of the government's early-childhood reform agenda through a media release announcing mandatory child-safety training for early-education staff [TA-260730-educat-f23b84039224]. The announcement ties training requirements to newly-passed funding-withholding powers and sits within a broader package of regulatory measures tightening oversight of early-learning services [TA-260730-educat-f23b84039224].

**Mandatory child-safety training rollout**

The next stage of training begins on Friday, building on foundation courses already completed by more than 99 percent of educators [TA-260730-educat-f23b84039224]. Services have six months to complete the new stage, which focuses on preventing and responding to child-safety concerns, including grooming detection [TA-260730-educat-f23b84039224].

**Funding tied to quality standards**

The government will use its newly-passed funding-withholding powers to require services to meet the national quality standard before they receive the 15 percent pay rise for early-education workers [TA-260730-educat-f23b84039224]. This ties child-safety training directly to funding incentives and compliance mechanisms, making quality a precondition for workforce investment [TA-260730-educat-f23b84039224].

Up to $40 million per year from the existing Child Care Subsidy will fund the new training programme [TA-260730-educat-f23b84039224].

**Broader reform package**

Reforms introduced this year include a National Early Childhood Worker Register, a national CCTV assessment for early-learning centres, bans on personal devices in rooms, and expanded compliance-officer spot checks [TA-260730-educat-f23b84039224]. Together, these measures tighten the regulatory framework around early-learning services and embed child-protection standards as a condition of public funding [TA-260730-educat-f23b84039224].

**Continuity with portfolio agenda**

The rollout extends the portfolio's recent focus on early-childhood equity and workforce investment into the quality and protection of early-learning environments, positioning child-safety training as the next phase of a reform agenda linking funding, workforce conditions, and quality standards across the sector [TA-260730-educat-f23b84039224].