Australian government names 29 childcare centres failing to meet national standards

The federal government has published a list of 29 childcare centres that have consistently failed to meet national quality standards, following through on its pledge to “name and shame” underperforming services. According to 9News, the Department of Education announced on Tuesday that the centres had conditions placed on their funding for failing to comply with National Quality Standards for several years. The action was taken under legislation passed by parliament last month. Of the 29 early childhood education and care (ECEC) services named, 11 are in Western Australia, seven in New South

The federal government has published a list of 29 childcare centres that have consistently failed to meet national quality standards, following through on its pledge to “name and shame” underperforming services. According to 9News, the Department of Education announced on Tuesday that the centres had conditions placed on their funding for failing to comply with National Quality Standards for several years. The action was taken under legislation passed by parliament last month. Of the 29 early childhood education and care (ECEC) services named, 11 are in Western Australia, seven in New South Wales, five in Queensland, four in Victoria and two in South Australia. None of the services have had their childcare subsidy approvals suspended or cancelled. The compliance action is unrelated to any criminal allegations, which continue to be handled separately by state authorities, including police. Education Minister Jason Clare said the measures were designed to restore public confidence. “We have taken action swiftly under the new legislation to begin rebuilding confidence in a system that parents need to have confidence in,” Clare said. “This is not about closing centres down, it’s about lifting standards up. Over the next six months, these centres will need to lift their game or they will face further consequences, including the cutting off of funding. This action puts those centres on notice that they need to put the safety of our children first.” The bipartisan legislative changes were introduced after high-profile cases of alleged child sexual abuse at childcare facilities in New South Wales and Victoria. Joshua Dale Brown, 26, has been charged with 70 offences allegedly committed while working at childcare centres in Melbourne. In a separate case, David William James, 26, has been charged with 13 offences while employed at out-of-school-hours care services in Sydney.