Compliance actions by Regulatory Authorities jump higher new data from ACECQA Snapshot shows

The number of compliance actions taken by Regulatory Authorities continues to rise with compliance directions, compliance notices and emergency actions notices all showing material increases compared to last year.

According to ACECQA’s latest snapshot the number of service focused compliance actions all increased in the first six months of 2026 compared to the same period last year as Regulatory Authorities across Australia remain focused on enforcing their oversight responsibilities. 

The number of compliance directions, which is a notice that requires compliance with prescribed Regulations, increased by 35 per cent, the number of compliance notices which are more serious and amount to a formal direction requiring the provider to remedy a breach of the Law or Regulations rose by 18%.

The number of Emergency Action Notices, which are deemed very serious and require immediate action because children face an immediate or likely immediate risk, rose by 86 per cent in the period. 

Notably, the increase in compliance notice issuance has occurred across three consecutive half year periods now and signals that it is the most common form of notification at this stage. 

With regards to notices that are educator focused, a material step up in Prohibition Notices, which are notices that prevent an individual from working or otherwise being involved in education and care, were issued in the January to June period of 2026. 

116 educators were prohibited from working within the early education and care sector, nearly double the 64 that were prohibited in the first half of 2025. 

That being said, the number of inappropriate person notices issued fell slightly compared to last year. An inappropriate person differs in this context from a prohibited person in that an inappropriate person is someone the regulator considers inappropriate to be on particular service premises, rather than someone who is prohibited from working in the sector as a whole. 

Additionally the ACECQA snapshot also provides data on the number of approved provider focused actions taken each quarter with noticeable steps up in the issuance of financial penalties for eligible offences (infringement notices) and restrictions of how services operate (conditions imposed) recorded with the latter up a very material 300 per cent compared to last year. 

2026 has marked a step change in Regulatory Authority compliance focused activity compared to prior years as recent legislative changes and a broader reset in oversight flows through to actions taken on the ground. 

To review the latest ACECQA Snapshot please click here.