Queensland backs national child safety reforms with new safeguards for early learning sector

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Fiona Alston

Jul 20, 2026

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Queensland has reinforced its commitment to strengthening child safety across the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector, announcing a suite of reforms following agreement by Education Ministers to a nationally coordinated package of measures designed to improve safeguarding, workforce oversight and regulatory accountability.

The reforms build on significant child safety initiatives already underway in Queensland and nationally, with governments working together to strengthen protections for children attending education and care services while increasing transparency and accountability across the sector.

The nationally agreed reforms include measures to strengthen supervision practices within services, improve transparency for families, enhance whistleblower protections and tighten the fitness and propriety requirements for approved providers and people with management or control.

The package will also pave the way for amendments to the National Law, expected to be progressed in 2027, as governments continue responding to heightened expectations around child safety and organisational governance.

A key component of Queensland's reforms is the rollout of Advanced Child Safety Training, commencing from 31 July 2026.

The training builds on the foundation child safety program already completed by more than 64,000 early childhood professionals across the state and will become mandatory for:

approved providers and people with management or control
nominated supervisors
persons in day-to-day charge
educators and other staff who work directly with children.

The advanced training is designed to strengthen safeguarding capability across the sector by ensuring those responsible for children's safety have contemporary knowledge and practical skills to identify, respond to and prevent harm.

Queensland also confirmed ongoing implementation of the new national Worker ID and Worker Register, designed to improve workforce transparency and strengthen information sharing across jurisdictions.

The register will provide a secure record of individuals working in early childhood education and care, supporting stronger oversight of the workforce.

As at 30 June 2026, more than 96 per cent of approved Queensland education and care services had submitted worker details to the register.

The reforms built upon Queensland's recently commenced Reportable Conduct Scheme, which took effect for the ECEC sector on 1 July 2026.

The scheme requires organisations to appropriately respond to, investigate and report allegations involving reportable conduct, including abuse, neglect and misconduct, while ensuring a child-centred and consistent approach to safeguarding.

Looking ahead, the Queensland Government confirmed the Queensland Protection Commission will commence operations in February 2027.

The Commission will include a dedicated child safeguarding intelligence hub designed to bring together information from multiple agencies, strengthening oversight, improving information sharing and supporting more coordinated responses to child safety risks.

Queensland Minister for Education John-Paul Langbroek said child safety remained a shared national priority.

"Child safety in education and care remains a Queensland and national priority, and we will continue to be at the forefront of strengthening these protections."

The Minister thanked the sector for its ongoing commitment to implementing the reforms and said the new measures would help strengthen confidence in Queensland's early childhood education and care system.

The latest announcement reinforces the significant regulatory change currently underway across the ECEC sector.

For approved providers and service leaders, the combination of strengthened child safety requirements, mandatory advanced training, the Worker Register, the Reportable Conduct Scheme and the future Queensland Protection Commission signals an increasing focus on governance, safeguarding capability and accountability as governments continue to strengthen protections for children across Australia.

Read the full media statement here.

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