In July 2025, Education Minister Jason Clare introduced legislation that marks one of the most significant shifts in the regulation of early childhood education and care in Australia.
The legislation gives the Federal Government unprecedented powers to enforce safety and quality standards across the sector, with the ability to withdraw funding from services that fail to meet these standards.
"In the last few weeks, Australians right across the country have been shocked and sickened by the news in Victoria", says Jason Clare, Minister for Education. Referring to the case of Joshua Brown, who hopped between centres around Melbourne and was charged with more than 70 offences in childcare centres.
The childcare sector is in crisis.
Clare announced numerous reforms designed to tighten the regulation in the sector and create safer environments for children in Australia. These announced reforms are federal but work in conjunction with state-based legislation and reforms.
Unannounced spot checks and ability to 'de-fund': additional 1600 unannounced visits per year will be carried out by Commonwealth officers, with compliance actions to lift the safety in ECEC, including new powers to cut off funding to providers that don't meet quality and safety standards.
Funding represents a powerful tool for the Australia Government, as $16 billion dollars a year is dedicated to the Child Care Subsidy, covering about 70% of the average cost of running a childcare centre and "centres can't operate without it".
Tougher penalties: fines under National Law and National Regulations will be tripled.
National Educator Register: a new national register giving regulators clear oversight of who is working in the sector and where ($45 million to be invested), to be built by the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACEQUA) and rolling out from February 2026.
Mandatory national child safety training: all ECEC staff are required to complete specific training developed by the Australian Centre for Child Protection, with roll out from early 2026.
CCTV – a national CCTV assessment: investing $21 million into a CCTV assessment in up to 300 services, managed by the Australian Centre for Child Protection.
Banned mobile phones: from September 2025, mobiles phones will be banned or restricted in services while working directly with children.
Stricter supervision rules: assessments to ensure quality supervision practices.
Regular assessments & ratings: jurisdictions will ensure services are assessed on average every three years, with more frequent visits for those that are still 'working towards' the national quality standard.
As these reforms roll out through the remainder of 2025 and into 2026, the sector can expect continued evolution and improvements in safety and compliance expectations.
Change and safeguarding requires a collaborative effort between government and employers.
For families, these reforms represent a comprehensive government response to restore trust in early childhood education and care. For services, they represent a new era of accountability and safety, where Commonwealth funding is directly tied to demonstrating safety and quality outcomes.
Child safety is a non-negotiable, and the systems that support it must be robust, responsive, and rigorously enforced.
Read more about the federal reforms for early education: https://ministers.education.gov.au/clare/early-childhood-education-and-care-strengthening-regulation-early-education-bill-2025
.webp)
