New transport regulations begin from today: Kidz Biz team up with ECRU to promote

Freya Lucas

Mar 01, 2023

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Services that provide transportation to children are reminded of changes to the National Regulations that come into effect from today, 1 March 2023.

The new requirements aim to reduce the risk of children being accidentally left inside vehicles and apply to all centre-based services that offer or arrange transportation of children.

Staff from Communities’ Education and Care Regulatory Unit (ECRU) attended a media opportunity with Channel 9 and Child Protection Minister Sabine Winton at Kidz Biz Wanneroo last Friday to promote the regulation changes.

“Families have every right to expect their child is kept safe and appropriately supervised at early childhood centres when they are dropped off and picked up each day,” Ms Winton said.

"These common sense changes are about reducing the risk of children being left in vehicles, by making sure there are clear requirements for how services should supervise and account for children when they are transported."

Kidz Biz Assistant Operations Manager Elaine Koopman said children’s safety was the centre’s absolute priority and losing track of a child was their “worst nightmare” as educators.

“We’ve already reviewed processes and procedures and received some feedback from the regulatory unit so I feel like we’re right on track for the new regulations to come into place,” Ms Koopman said.

“Once we’ve got our updated versions of our checklists they will be communicated to our families as well. It’s great that it is coming into effect. It will be good to see less accidents happen.”

Key changes include making sure:

children are accounted for as they get in or out of a vehicle by a staff member or a nominated supervisor other than the driver
a staff member or nominated supervisor other than the driver accounts for children when they get on and off transport at the childcare service premises
the interior of the vehicle is physically checked to ensure no children are left behind
records are kept of how each child was accounted for
ECRU (or the relevant regulatory authority for the state or territory) is notified when regular transportation starts being provided or arranged by the services, and if/when it stops.

The penalty for breaches of the regulations range between a minimum of $9,000 and a maximum of $26,000.

For more information on the new transport regulations, visit the ECRU web page or this fact sheet from ACECQA.

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