$189m reform package to strengthen safety and trust in early learning

The Australian Government, alongside state and territory counterparts, has committed to one of the most significant safety reforms in early childhood education and care in over a decade, earmarking $189 million to uplift quality, transparency and oversight across the sector.

 

The Australian Government will invest up to $189 million to enhance child safety and quality across early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings, following a special meeting of Education Ministers in Sydney on Friday 22 August 2025.

 

The comprehensive reforms aim to strengthen oversight, increase transparency and support the workforce, in recognition of the crucial role early educators play in children’s safety and development.

 

The measures reflect cross-jurisdictional coordination under the National Quality Framework (NQF), with reforms embedded in the Education and Care Services National Law and Regulations.

 

The new measures respond to recommendations from several reviews, including the Review of Child Safety Arrangements under the National Quality Framework (Child Safety Review), Victoria’s Rapid Child Safety Review and the Early Childhood Education and Care Regulation in the Independent review into the NSW Early Childhood Education and Care Regulatory Authority.  

 

A key outcome of the meeting was an agreement for Victoria to pursue expedited legislative amendments by the end of 2025, enabling faster implementation of priority reforms.

 

National initiatives and reforms

 

Among the initiatives funded through these investment are:

 

National Educator Register: Up to $45 million will support the development of a national register by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA). It will provide regulators with oversight of educators’ employment and locations. A testing phase will begin in December 2025, with national rollout and mandatory use scheduled for February 2026.

 

Mandatory child safety training: The Australian Centre for Child Protection will develop mandatory training for all ECEC staff, volunteers and students. The program will begin rolling out from early 2026. To support implementation, the Commonwealth will allocate up to $21 million in workforce subsidies to help offset wage costs.

 

CCTV assessment and pilot program: A $21 million investment will support a national assessment of CCTV use across up to 300 services. Guided by experts from the Australian Centre for Child Protection, the initiative will explore best-practice implementation, addressing storage, privacy and safety considerations. Small to medium-sized services will be eligible for participation payments.

 

Personal device restrictions: From September 2025, personal mobile phones and image-capable digital devices will be restricted for staff when working directly with children. All jurisdictions will actively regulate this change.

 

Unannounced compliance checks: The Commonwealth will invest $73 million to increase compliance activities, including 1,600 additional unannounced visits annually, commencing November 2025. New powers will allow for funding to be withdrawn from services failing to meet safety and quality standards.

 

Joint regulatory action: Approximately $22 million will be provided to support coordinated compliance and monitoring with states and territories, and to improve regulatory data-sharing.

 

Increased transparency for families: Upgrades to the Starting Blocks website will enable families to access information about imposed conditions, regulator visits, breaches and enforcement actions. From November 2025, services will also be required to display compliance and enforcement notices, including in translated formats where needed. The Commonwealth has committed $2 million for these enhancements and an additional $5 million for ACECQA to support family engagement.

 

Stronger penalties: Fines under the Education and Care Services National Law and Regulations will be tripled.

 

Improved assessment and rating frequency: All services will now be assessed at least once every three years, with more frequent assessments for those rated as Working Towards the National Quality Standard.

 

Supervision reforms prioritised

 

Ministers agreed on new national measures to improve supervision practices across ECEC services.

 

Rapid assessment of supervision practices: ACECQA will conduct a rapid assessment of current supervision arrangements, with findings to be reported to Education Ministers by the end of 2025.

 

Facility design reforms: As part of broader legislative changes, Ministers endorsed the removal of service waivers related to building design that affect supervision. This reflects a commitment to ensuring all ECEC environments are structured to enable adequate supervision at all times. While not prescribing specific staffing ratios, the reform underscores the importance of physical environments in supporting safe practice.

 

Legislative amendments to follow

 

Ministers also endorsed a suite of legislative changes to be progressed through the National Law, including:

 

• Making the safety, rights and best interests of children the paramount consideration.
• Mandating national child safety training and the use of the National Educator Register from February 2026.
• Allowing regulatory authorities to share the identities of prohibited or sanctioned individuals with approved providers.
• Removing waivers related to building design where they impact supervision.
• Requiring approved Working With Children Checks before commencing work, and mandatory notification of any change to status.
• Extending the limitation period for prosecution of offences.

 

Sector implications:

 

• All educators and volunteers will be required to complete national child safety training from 2026.
• Services must implement personal device restrictions and prepare for additional unannounced checks.
• Approved providers will be responsible for ensuring educators are registered under the new National Educator Register.
• Transparency requirements will necessitate the public display of compliance information.

 

These reforms support multiple Quality Areas under the National Quality Standard (NQS), particularly Quality Area 2 Children’s health and safety and Quality Area 7 Governance and leadership.

 

The reforms represent one of the most significant cross-jurisdictional efforts to elevate safety and quality in ECEC in more than a decade, with a strong focus on accountability, workforce support and child-centred governance.

 

The next Education Ministers’ Meeting will take place in October 2025 in Queensland, where Ministers are expected to progress legislative and regulatory changes.

 

Read the full Education Ministers Meeting Communiqué here.