ECT workforce provisions to change at the end of 2026

Two provisions affecting early childhood teacher (ECT) staffing will change at the end of 2026, with different outcomes for services relying on each arrangement.

ACECQA has confirmed that flexibility for eligible remote and very remote services will continue under a new regulation from 1 January 2027. A separate provision that allows certain people studying towards an ECT qualification to be counted as an ECT will expire on 31 December 2026 in several jurisdictions. 

Education Ministers have agreed to retain the arrangement currently set out in regulation 239A. From 1 January 2027, it will become an ongoing provision under regulation 134A.

The arrangement gives eligible centre-based services in remote and very remote areas flexibility in meeting specified ECT attendance requirements through access to a teacher who works with the service. Depending on the requirement, that work may be carried out using information technology. 

Regulation 134A will apply in the Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia. In New South Wales, it will remain limited to services covered by regulation 272(1A). It will not apply in the ACT, Queensland or Victoria. ACECQA says making the arrangement ongoing provides greater certainty for services facing persistent workforce challenges in remote communities. 

Regulation 242 currently allows a person who is actively working towards an approved early childhood teaching qualification to be taken to be an ECT if they meet specified conditions. These include providing evidence of satisfactory progress and either holding an approved diploma-level educator qualification or having completed at least 50 per cent of their ECT course. 

That provision will expire on 31 December 2026 in the ACT, NSW, Tasmania and Western Australia. It already does not apply in Queensland or Victoria. South Australia will maintain its own requirements, while the Northern Territory is considering its arrangements beyond 2026 and will provide further guidance. 

For an affected service, the practical question is whether a person currently counted as an ECT under regulation 242 will still meet its ECT staffing requirement from 1 January 2027. They may do so if they have completed an approved ECT qualification or are covered by another applicable arrangement. A person still studying may also qualify to be counted in a different educator category, depending on their qualifications and progress.

Providers using regulation 242 can review the qualification evidence for affected staff and check how their 2027 rosters meet the requirements that apply in their jurisdiction. Remote services can separately confirm whether regulation 134A applies to them. ACECQA advises providers considering a waiver or needing advice about jurisdiction-specific requirements to contact their regulatory authority.