Victorian Parliament releases key paper on child safety and reform in ECEC

A new research paper from the Victorian Parliamentary Library,  A Moment of Reckoning: Recent Developments in Childcare Safety, explores the significant reforms reshaping early childhood education and care (ECEC) in Victoria. The paper provides a clear overview of the events, legislation and public concerns that have driven a major regulatory shift in the state’s approach to child safety and oversight of services.

The paper consolidates a timeline of parliamentary action between August and December 2025, summarising debates, legislation and the establishment of the Victorian Early Childhood Regulatory Authority (VECRA). It details how safety concerns and institutional reviews prompted urgent reforms, resulting in increased scrutiny of workforce screening processes, regulatory powers, and the responsibilities of approved providers.

These reforms are contextualised within a broader history of child safety inquiries, including recommendations from:

• the 2017 Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse
• the 2015 Royal Commission on the Working with Children Check
• the 2022 Victorian Ombudsman’s report on the Working with Children Check scheme

Each of these inquiries emphasised the need for robust child protection frameworks and institutional accountability, principles that now underpin Victoria’s revised childcare legislation.

A Moment of Reckoning outlines four Acts passed by the Victorian Parliament aimed at strengthening the safety and regulation of ECEC services. It also explores:

• the rapid establishment of VECRA as an independent regulator
• parliamentary scrutiny of regulatory failures and missed warning signs
• the role of public reporting in driving reform
• the increasing alignment between child safety, governance and compliance across the sector

The paper notes a cultural shift expected within ECEC services: from treating compliance as a checklist exercise to embracing child safety as a continuous, evidence-informed responsibility embedded in everyday practice and organisational oversight.

The research provides essential background for approved providers, centre managers, governance teams and policy professionals. It outlines not only what has changed, but why those changes were necessary, and how they inform future regulatory expectations.

The paper also reinforces the critical role of sector leadership, transparent systems and strong governance in building environments where safety is proactively managed and visibly prioritised.

With further hearings underway as part of the Legislative Council’s inquiry into early childhood education and care, A Moment of Reckoning offers timely insight into the policy landscape shaping ECEC in 2026.

Download the full research paper via the Parliament of Victoria website.