Education Minister Jason Clare has pledged to do "every single thing" within his power to protect children in Australian childcare centres, as the federal government faces intense criticism for accepting only one of 23 recommendations handed down by a landmark childcare safety inquiry.
The inquiry exposed serious failures across the childcare sector that have allowed predators to target vulnerable children, yet the government's limited response has drawn sharp condemnation from child safety advocates, who have labelled it a "slap in the face" and renewed calls for a dedicated federal minister for child safety.
Clare Acknowledges Years of Government Failures on Childcare Safety
Speaking on Thursday morning, Clare did not shy away from the gravity of the situation, conceding that successive governments at both state and federal levels had fallen short on child protection for at least a decade.
"The truth is, not enough has been done by any government, state or federal, Labor or Liberal, over the last 10 years," Clare said. "That's now changing because of the action that I'm taking and leading right across the country."
The minister made the comments personal, revealing that friends of his had been directly affected by an abuse case in Victoria.
"I've got friends in Victoria whose kids were caught up in what this scumbag did to them," he said. "I'll do every single thing within my power to make sure that I keep our kids safe in our centres for the more than one million parents who rely on those centres every single day."
The Albanese government has faced growing pressure to demonstrate a more comprehensive commitment to reform following the inquiry's findings.
Key Childcare Safety Reforms Outlined by the Minister
Despite accepting only one formal recommendation so far, Clare detailed a range of measures the government is moving to implement, drawing on advice from the Australian Federal Police.
The changes Clare outlined include:
- Banning personal mobile phones inside childcare centres, described by the Australian Federal Police as one of the most critical protective steps available.
- Cutting off government funding to centres that fail to meet established safety standards.
- Mandatory safety training for all childcare workers, from senior executives down to frontline staff.
- Closer cooperation between police forces across the country.
- More consistent and nationally harmonised working with children checks, to ensure bans apply across state borders.
"It's making sure that working with children checks work right across the country," Clare said. "So if a paedophile moves from one centre to another, from state to state, then they're caught. And if you're banned in one state, you're banned everywhere."
On the mobile phone ban, Clare indicated the rationale was self-evident to most parents, though he declined to elaborate further on the specifics. "I'm not going to explain why but I think all mums and dads out there know why it's important," he said.
Pressure Mounts Over the Remaining 22 Recommendations
Critics have questioned why the government has not committed to acting on the full scope of the inquiry's findings. With 22 recommendations still unaddressed, advocates argue the response is insufficient given the seriousness of the failures identified.
When pressed on whether the government intended to revisit the outstanding recommendations, Clare indicated the process was ongoing rather than concluded.
"We will continue to comb through this report, just like there are other reports at a state level as well," he said, adding that "the work is never done."
Child safety advocates remain unsatisfied, with calls intensifying for a standalone federal minister dedicated solely to child safety, a measure the government has not committed to implementing.
Clare has warned childcare providers directly that failure to meet safety standards will carry a financial consequence, with government funding on the line for non-compliant centres.
