Large early childhood education and care providers who breach safety requirements will face significant fines – a 900 per cent increase – under new legislation introduced to New South Wales parliament.
It’s part of a suite of reforms to the childcare sector that will give the regulator greater power to suspend or revoke quality ratings, and order the suspension or supervision of individual educators.
The legislation also introduces a legal obligation for the early childhood sector and regulator to put the rights and best interests of children above all else, with a focus on safety, protection and wellbeing.
Acting Minister for Education and Early Learning Courtney Houssos said the changes would allow for greater transparency for families in the wake of several troubling cases of abuse and mismanagement.
“While many providers do the right thing, recent cases show goodwill alone is not enough,” Houssos said.
“Until now, the regulator has lacked the powers needed to enforce safety and accountability. This bill provides new offences and penalties to a range of existing offences at a rate at least three times the current paltry amounts. For large providers, those fines can be trebled again.”
The legislation also improves protection for whistleblowers and enables the regulator to publish more information about high-risk services, including current investigations.
Meanwhile, childcare centres deemed high-risk will be forced to openly display compliance breaches in areas that parents can access.
The relevant minister and regulator will also be able to issue binding directions to the sector where there is an unacceptable risk to child safety.
“This bill also allows for far greater transparency for families. Parents and carers will have access to a service provider’s history so they can make an informed choice about the care of their children,” Houssos said.
Some of the changes in NSW will also include reforms that were recently agreed on at a national level between state and federal ministers.