National Commission considered as next step in ECEC safety reforms

The Australian Government has announced it will work with states and territories to consider the development of a national Early Education and Care Commission, with the proposal set to form part of the next stage of safety and system reform across early childhood education and care (ECEC). 

The proposal will be a key item when Education Ministers next meet in July, according to Federal Minister for Education Jason Clare. The Government said more than one million Australian families rely on ECEC, and that the system needs to be “stronger and safer across the country”. 

The potential Commission would build on a $226 million package of reforms to lift safety and standards across the sector, including a National Early Childhood Worker Register, mandatory child safety training for educators, a national CCTV trial in centres, more compliance officers undertaking unannounced spot checks, and a ban on personal devices in centres. 

The Government said a national Commission could help support stronger standards across the sector and ensure services are located where families need them most. The proposal could also involve reform of the existing Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA). 

Mr Clare said the proposal represented the next possible step in long-term reform.

“Child care is an essential service for more than one million Australian families,” Mr Clare said.

“We’ve cut the cost. We’re also driving big reforms to improve access and safety.

“This is the next potential step to drive long-term reform.” 

Minister for Early Childhood Education Dr Jess Walsh said the Government wanted Australian children to have access to the quality early learning they deserve.

“A Commission could help ensure early learning services are located where families need them most, while supporting strong standards across the sector,” Dr Walsh said.

“It’s important we get this right, and that’s why we’ll be consulting with the sector and other stakeholders on the best way forward.” 

The announcement follows a series of safety, quality and transparency reforms across ECEC.

In July 2025, the Australian Government introduced legislation to strengthen safety in early education and care services, including powers to cut off Commonwealth funding to services that do not meet the National Quality Standard in relation to safety and quality, breach the law, or act in ways that put children’s safety at risk. The legislation also enabled Commonwealth officers to conduct unannounced spot checks to detect fraud and non-compliance. 

The Department of Education has since confirmed that, from 31 July 2025, quality and safety became paramount considerations when assessing applications for Child Care Subsidy (CCS) approval and ongoing CCS approval. The changes also give the Commonwealth powers to make decisions based on a provider’s quality and safety record, issue notices to services not meeting the National Quality Standard, conduct unannounced site visits and publish provider and service non-compliance information. 

The reforms also sit alongside changes flowing from the National Child Safety Review. From 1 September 2025, changes to the Education and Care Services National Regulations included new requirements for the safe use of digital technologies and online environments, 24-hour notification for abuse incidents and allegations, and a prohibition on vaping substances and devices in services. Refinements to the National Quality Standard to strengthen the focus on child safety will start on 1 January 2026. 

The reform agenda has also increased the amount of information available to families.

From 1 September 2025, families have been able to see more information on StartingBlocks.gov.au, including the date a local regulator last visited a service, any conditions placed on a provider or service, and a clearer link between a service and its provider. From 26 November 2025, StartingBlocks.gov.au began publishing additional compliance and enforcement information, including enforcement actions taken by state and territory regulators over the previous two years. 

Unannounced spot checks have also commenced across ECEC services, with authorised officers checking whether services are meeting legal obligations and administering CCS correctly. The Department said these visits also allow officers to identify and report safety or quality concerns to state and territory regulators. 

How the sector is coping with 2025/26 reform

For approved providers, centre managers, nominated supervisors and educators, the proposed Commission arrives during an already intense period of change.

Across 2025 and 2026, services have been responding to strengthened child safety requirements, changes to digital device and online safety settings, shorter notification timeframes for abuse-related incidents and allegations, increased transparency for families, expanded Commonwealth compliance powers, unannounced spot checks, wage reform, the 3 Day Guarantee and the broader push toward universal ECEC.

For many high-quality providers, the direction of reform is broadly consistent with existing practice: stronger safeguarding, better governance, clear accountability and more transparent communication with families.

However, the cumulative impact is significant. Services are managing reform implementation while also navigating workforce shortages, rising operating costs, increased family expectations and the day-to-day complexity of maintaining ratios, continuity of care and quality practice.

For leaders, the challenge is not only understanding each reform in isolation. It is sequencing them in a way that supports compliance without overwhelming teams.

This may require:

• clearer internal responsibility for monitoring reform updates
• stronger documentation of child safety decisions and actions
• refreshed staff training schedules
• updated policies on digital devices, online safety and reporting
• stronger induction for new educators and casual staff
• more transparent communication with families about safety and quality
• preparation for unannounced visits and increased compliance scrutiny.

The sector is also balancing a delicate message. Reform is necessary to strengthen public confidence and protect children, but it must be implemented in ways that support, rather than destabilise, the many services and educators already delivering safe, high-quality early learning.

What this could mean for providers

The potential creation of a national Commission could have long-term implications for system stewardship, national consistency and service planning.

For providers, the key questions will be how a Commission would interact with existing regulatory authorities, ACECQA, the National Quality Framework, CCS compliance settings and state and territory responsibilities.

The Government has confirmed it will consult with service providers, unions, peak bodies and other stakeholders on the design of any potential Commission. 

That consultation will be important. A national body could help reduce fragmentation and improve consistency, but the design would need to recognise the operational realities of services, including smaller providers, regional services, family day care and outside school hours care.

For-profit and not-for-profit providers both in scope

The proposed national Commission would also land in a sector made up of diverse provider types, including large for-profit groups, small private operators, not-for-profit organisations, community-managed services, local government providers, family day care services and outside school hours care providers.

This diversity matters. Safety and quality expectations must apply consistently across all providers, regardless of ownership model, size or location. Families should be able to expect strong safeguarding, transparent governance and high-quality practice whether a service is operated by a commercial provider, a community organisation or a not-for-profit organisation.

At the same time, different provider types may experience reform in different ways. Larger providers may have more centralised compliance, policy and workforce teams to support implementation. Smaller private, community and not-for-profit services may need more practical guidance, time and support to manage new requirements alongside day-to-day operations.

The reform conversation is therefore unlikely to be only about ownership type. It will also need to consider governance quality, transparency, regulatory history, service context, leadership capability and how providers demonstrate that children’s safety and wellbeing sit above all other considerations.

For the sector, this creates an opportunity to move beyond broad assumptions about for-profit and not-for-profit provision and focus instead on the standards, systems and behaviours that should be expected of every approved provider.

A national approach will need to strengthen public confidence while recognising the operational realities of a mixed-market ECEC system. That means holding all providers to clear expectations, while ensuring reform settings are practical, proportionate and focused on improving outcomes for children.

Linked to universal ECEC

The Government said a national Commission was recommended by the Productivity Commission in its 2024 inquiry report outlining a path to universal ECEC. It also pointed to other reforms already underway, including the 15 per cent wage increase for early educators, the 3 Day Guarantee and the $1 billion Early Education Fund to build more services where they are needed most. 

From 5 January 2026, all CCS-eligible families were able to access at least 72 hours of subsidised care per fortnight under the 3 Day Guarantee, with some families able to access 100 hours depending on their circumstances. 

Together, these reforms reflect a broader shift in ECEC policy: safety, quality, affordability, access and workforce sustainability are increasingly being treated as connected parts of the same system.

For the ECEC sector, the announcement reinforces that child safety will remain at the centre of national reform.

The potential Commission is not yet a settled policy, and its scope, powers and relationship with existing bodies will need careful design. But the direction of travel is clear: governments are seeking stronger national oversight, more consistent safety settings and clearer accountability across the early learning system.

For providers, the priority will be to remain reform-ready while continuing to support educators, communicate clearly with families and keep children’s safety, rights and wellbeing at the centre of daily practice.