In a joint statement to the Senate Inquiry into the Federal Government’s ParentsNext program, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and human rights organisations have called for the program to be scrapped, describing the program as “punitive”, and “raising concerns about compliance with Australia’s sex and race discrimination laws”

New “stronger, nationally consistent” screening laws for those wanting to work or volunteer with children in South Australia are set to come into effect from July 1 2019.

The Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has expressed “serious concerns” about the controversial ParentsNext program, a support service tailored to parents with children under six who are receiving parenting payments.

All Australian children will have access to swimming and water safety lessons in primary school, the Australian Labor Party has pledged in a $46 million Swim Smart initiative that it plans to roll out if elected to government. A move that may be of interest to outside school hours care (OSHC) services that provide swimming activities as part of their curricula.

The Australian Labor Party’s $1.75 billion commitment to early childhood education puts pressure on the coalition government to reverse cuts and provide certainty to the sector, the Australian Education Union (AEU) has said.