Urgent childcare reforms among federal priorities as parliament returns

As the 48th Parliament of Australia opens for the first time since the May federal election, the Albanese Government has flagged childcare reform as a top priority, alongside delivering on other key commitments.

Prompted by a series of high-profile incidents and mounting pressure from families, educators and advocacy groups, early childhood education and care (ECEC) policy is expected to dominate early parliamentary debate with urgent legislative action on the agenda.

Among the first reforms to be tabled on Tuesday 22 July are measures that would enable the federal government to withdraw public funding from services failing to meet National Quality Standards (NQS). These powers, flagged earlier by Education Minister Jason Clare, are intended to enforce accountability through financial levers, recognising that federal contributions account for around 70 per cent of operational funding for most early learning services.

Attorney-General Michelle Rowland has also emphasised the importance of rapid, decisive action, telling reporters:

“What is important here is that we have action.”

In parallel, a meeting of state and territory attorneys-general scheduled for next month will consider further national safeguards, including:

• Mandating CCTV in early learning environments
• Strengthening Working With Children Check requirements
• Introducing real-time reporting systems for incidents and breaches

These measures are designed to address growing concerns about child safety, transparency, and the speed at which families are informed when issues arise at services.

While the Coalition previously opposed some of the government’s education-related policies, Deputy Opposition Leader Ted O’Brien and Shadow Education Minister Jonathon Duniam have signalled a more collaborative approach this term.

“We’re not really in the business of standing in the way of cost-of-living relief,” Duniam said, referring to the HECS relief, before adding:

“When you’re putting your child into the care and trust of people you generally don’t know, you want to know if there are issues with the centre you’ve put your kid into.”

The Coalition’s shift in tone opens the door to bipartisan support for stronger safeguards and may accelerate the passage of new regulatory measures through both houses of Parliament.

For approved providers, centre managers and educators, the expected reforms will likely bring:

• Increased compliance obligations, particularly around staffing, supervision, and reporting
• Potential funding implications tied directly to service quality ratings and incident records
• Greater transparency requirements, especially relating to family communication and real-time data

To read the original coverage of this story, as produced by Nine News, please see here.