Senate Inquiry launched into quality and safety of early childhood education and care

On the first day of the resumed Federal Parliament, the Australian Greens secured the establishment of a Senate Inquiry into the quality and safety of early childhood education and care (ECEC).

The inquiry comes just days after education ministers agreed to a package of national child safety measures, including the introduction of a National Educator Register and a CCTV trial across up to 300 services. While acknowledging these initiatives, the Greens cautioned that piecemeal reforms would not be sufficient to address deeper systemic concerns.

The Senate Inquiry will examine:

• the effectiveness of the current regulatory framework,
• the pressures and challenges facing the ECEC workforce, and
• whether existing funding arrangements adequately support quality and safety.

It will also provide families, educators and advocates with an opportunity to share their experiences, contributing to recommendations that focus on both immediate improvements and long-term reforms towards universal access to high-quality early learning.

The inquiry is expected to report back in early 2026.

Greens spokesperson for early education and care, Senator Steph Hodgins-May, said the inquiry would be an opportunity to restore trust and drive systemic change:

“Families have lost confidence in the childcare system, and tinkering around the edges with CCTV and registers won’t bring that trust back.

This Senate Inquiry will shine a light on a broken system by exposing the conditions that allow abuse, and laying down a clear path to reform through fixing the funding model, lifting the workforce, and strengthening regulation.”

Senator Hodgins-May added that families, educators and advocates would have a national platform to share their stories and demand change, with the inquiry offering a pathway to deliver the universal early learning legacy promised by the Prime Minister.

For the ECEC sector, the inquiry places renewed focus on workforce challenges, funding sustainability and regulatory consistency, all areas that intersect with ongoing National Quality Framework reviews and broader early childhood reform agendas.

With cross-parliamentary support secured, the inquiry is positioned to play a key role in shaping the future of early learning policy, ensuring child safety and quality remain at the centre of national debate.