The IEU welcomes legislation passed by federal parliament in late July that would cut government funding from providers repeatedly failing safety requirements.
“The IEU supports blocking federal funding from providers that do not prioritise child safety and those that put profits ahead of the children they care for,” said IEUA NSW/ACT Branch Secretary Carol Matthews.
“This is the first step towards building a much stronger child safety culture and restoring confidence in the sector.”
Federal Education Minister Jason Clare promised he would use the new powers to strip funding from below-standard centres as soon as possible.
“My department is working right now with states and territories on a priority list of providers to bring action against,” he told Guardian Australia.
Other safety measures needed
The union welcomes a further package of reforms to boost child safety that will be the focus of a meeting of education ministers in August.
“Staff in the sector need mandatory training in their obligations and the assurance of a safe mechanism for making a report when they are legally required to do so,” Matthews said.
The union also calls for providers to undertake compulsory training to ensure a child-safe environment.
The union welcomes plans for a nationwide register of early childhood educators and seeks clarification of what this register would mean for degree-qualified teachers who are already required to be registered under state laws.
Staffing ratios and CCTV
The IEU calls for a clampdown on centres that manipulate staffing ratios to avoid their legal obligations of ensuring adequate supervision and prevent safety breaches.
“While CCTV has its place, it is no magic bullet – for example, it cannot be installed in baby-change rooms and bathrooms. And it is no substitute for building a strong culture of child safety with well-trained, properly paid staff,” Matthews said.
A separate meeting of federal and state attorneys general will also be held in August to discuss reforming the Working with Children Check system (WWCC).
“We call for greater national coordination of the sector, including reforms to the Working with Children Check system and a searchable national register of WWCC holders,” Matthews said.
Federal Attorney General Michelle Rowland said different states and territories had inconsistent schemes covering eligibility and reportable conduct.
“They do not talk to each other and there is no system of national oversight or real-time monitoring,” she told federal parliament in July.
“We need meaningful change and we need it urgently. It’s time to stop predators exploiting cracks in the hodgepodge of separate systems around the country.”
New regulations must not reduce quality
The union is also concerned about reports from members that time is taken away from core duties of educating and caring for children by ancillary tasks such as cleaning and paperwork.
“Regulations must enhance the delivery of early childhood education and care, not reduce its quality,” Matthews said.
“Real reform means fixing acute workforce shortages through better wages, manageable workloads, and comprehensive training in child safety and protection.”