Childcare reforms have taken ‘too bloody long’, government admits

2 months ago 11

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Education Minister Jason Clare has admitted childcare reforms have taken “too bloody long” as the government pledges to speed up changes after a Melbourne worker was charged with more than 70 offences including alleged abuse of children.

A second man has also been charged with dozens of sex crimes as part of a major investigation in Victoria that has caused national fury and cast a spotlight on how early childhood education centres operate after a 2017 royal commission recommended sweeping reforms.

Education Minister Jason Clare said he was bringing together recommendations.

“The implementation of those reforms has taken too bloody long. They need to be accelerated,” Clare told Seven’s Sunrise on Thursday.

“That’s why I said we need to implement a register of educators in childcare centres. It’s why we need to fix the working with children checks. That’s work that is led by Attorney-Generals, but needs to be sped up.”

The Attorney-Generals are set to meet in August. Federal Attorney-General Michelle Rowland has written to state and territory ministers to evaluate current working with children check arrangements.

However, senior Labor minister Clare O’Neil cautioned people that changing working with children checks would not fix all the sector’s issues.

“I think everyone would agree we need to have a good look at that process. But I also say that’s not a silver bullet,” she told ABC News Breakfast.

“A lot of these predators would pass a working with children check, they don’t have anything in their history that indicates as a problem.”

Shadow attorney-general Julian Leeser did not say why the Coalition had not implemented certain recommendations from the 2017 royal commission when they were in government, but pledged to support any legislation the government presents in further protecting children.

“[The] Coalition stand ready to assist the government in whatever measures that they need to take to ensure that we protect children and we protect families who are sending their children to childcare centres, and to ensure the proper processes are in place,” he told ABC Radio National.

More to come.

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