Victoria Commits to 22 Childcare Safety Reforms After Urgent Review

Victoria will roll out 22 reforms to strengthen childcare safety, including the creation of a National Early Childhood Worker Register with powers to de-register unsafe staff, the introduction of CCTV trials, and major changes to staff screening and recruitment practices.

The reforms follow the Melbourne childcare abuse case that shocked the nation.

The recommendations have come from the Independent Review into Child Safety in Early Childhood Education and Care, released on Aug. 20.

The Victorian Government has committed to implementing all recommendations within three to 12 months, depending on their complexity.

“You put your trust in a system, and that system let you down. As a mum, I cannot begin to imagine that pain. But as premier, I can do everything in my power to act,” Premier Jacinta Allan said on X soon after the report was released.

The urgency of reform was underscored in May when Joshua Dale Brown, 26, was arrested and charged with 70 offences involving eight children.

“It is really important to remember that it’s not that early childhood educators are perpetrators of abuse, it is that some paedophiles have targeted some of the gaps that exist and exploited them,” a parent shared with the review committee.

Safer Hiring

At the centre of the reforms is the establishment of a National Early Childhood Worker Register, giving regulators the power to remove unsuitable individuals from the sector.

Recruitment practices will also be tightened. Providers will be required to verify at least two previous employers, even if not nominated as referees, and ask child safety-focused questions during interviews.

The Working with Children Check (WWCC) will be overhauled to include broader police and child protection intelligence, even where allegations are unsubstantiated.

Clearances will be subject to re-assessment whenever new intelligence emerges, and applicants will be required to complete mandatory online child safety training before approval.

Tougher Oversight

The review recommends creating an independent Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Regulator, separate from the Department of Education, to avoid conflicts of interest.

The regulator would enforce the strictest inspection regime in the country, including unannounced compliance visits to every service at least once a year and shorter intervals between quality rating assessments.

Mandatory child safety training would apply to all personnel connected to childcare—from educators to managers, board members and office holders—with training tailored to reflect local laws such as Victoria’s Child Safe Standards.

Additional reforms include a Child Safe Building Grants Program to improve sightlines in centres, and a national CCTV trial to test surveillance as an investigative and regulatory tool.

Parents would gain easier access to information about service quality through improvements to the Starting Blocks website, while services would be required to display enforcement actions prominently on their websites and in reception areas.

Families will also be provided with multilingual prevention resources to help identify grooming and raise concerns.

Long-Term Reform Agenda

Beyond immediate safeguards, the review urges the Commonwealth to lead a 10-year national reform plan for the early childhood system, prioritising safety, quality, and workforce growth.

An Early Childhood Reform Commission, directed by national education ministers and supported by a parent advisory group, would coordinate reforms nationwide.

The review also recommends a fast-track process to install trusted providers when services lose approvals or funding, ensuring children’s access to care is not disrupted.

The six-week review analysed data from Victoria and other states, past inquiries, and expert evidence from regulators, academics, providers and service leaders. It also consulted parents and children’s rights groups.

System Failures and Political Pressure

The report follows years of warnings about flaws in Victoria’s child safety framework. In 2022, the Ombudsman urged the government to strengthen the WWCC, recommending legislative changes that would allow authorities to suspend or revoke clearances based on risk assessments, even without criminal charges.

A year later, the Department of Justice disclosed a catastrophic failure: status updates for around 157,000 WWCC applicants were never communicated to their employers. Among them, 69 individuals had already been barred from child-related work, but their bans were not disclosed.

“Despite repeated demands, the government has not confirmed if the technical fault has been resolved,” the Opposition said in a statement.

The incident prompted Parliament to pass new legislation on July 31, enabling the Commonwealth to cut funding to childcare providers that fail to meet safety and quality standards, following the Melbourne abuse revelations.