![\"Minister](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/bfeb61adf01f382721d79993d6b16393031fb7c7.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nThe reviewers said the sector had grown rapidly over the decade without a coherent plan.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe rapid expansion of the sector has created perverse incentives for shortcuts in education and training and that some for-profit providers may feel pressure to maximise value to shareholders,\u201d the review said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn.Credit: Simon Schluter<\/p>\n
Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn accepted there were safety risks in a market-driven model.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not how you would set up a childcare system if you were to set one up from scratch.\u201d<\/p>\n
The report said stricter guardrails were required, finding there was an over-reliance on workers who had not yet completed their qualifications. It said there should always be two workers in the presence of a child. The current ratios stipulate 1.11 to 1.4 workers per child (depending on age), but averaged across the entire centre, not individual rooms.<\/p>\n
It urged Victoria to advocate for a rethink of the system by the Commonwealth.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis needs to prioritise quality and safety, reconsider the current funding model and reliance on the market, and set a 10-year strategy to fundamentally reform the ECEC [early childhood education and care] system, including careful planning for workforce growth and quality.\u201d<\/p>\n
Weatherill and White said the state should establish a new database, powered by artificial intelligence, to join the working with children check scheme and a register of childcare workers.<\/p>\n
Working with children checks should be able to consider unsubstantiated allegations made through the reportable conduct scheme, and these should be brought into a single entity that also handled the child safety standards, the review said.<\/p>\n
\u201cCurrently, the trail of information that can identify a predator\u2019s behaviour sits in too many different places .\u201d<\/p>\n
Those whose clearances are rejected or revoked will only be permitted to request an internal review, rather than bringing the matter to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.<\/p>\n
The changes to the scheme go beyond those advocated three years ago by former ombudsman Deborah Glass, which the state had ignored.<\/p>\n
Allan, who was deputy premier when the 2022 ombudsman report was delivered, repeatedly denied that her government could have acted sooner.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t involved in those decisions at that time. And I say very clearly that as premier today, I\u2019m taking action today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Unsubstantiated allegations, investigations and findings should also be shared among jurisdictions, Weatherill and White said, with a national approach and database.<\/p>\n
Online child safety training and testing will also become mandatory to gain the clearance.<\/p>\n
The Victorian opposition and the Greens both said these urgent reforms had been ignored for too long. Opposition education spokeswoman Jess Wilson said the Coalition would work constructively with the government to put child safety first.<\/p>\n
Emma Hakansson, survivor advocate at Australian Childhood Foundation, said she was relieved the government was finally making training mandatory.<\/p>\n
Loading<\/p>\n
The latest review recommended that Victoria urge education ministers around the country to establish a temporary Early Education Reform Commission to track recommendations and ensure reforms are delivered. The ministers will meet on Friday.<\/p>\n
Victoria will also push for a national trial of CCTV in centres, or go it alone if necessary.<\/p>\n
A national register, which was recommended by the Australian Children\u2019s Education Care Quality Authority back in 2023, remains a priority, and states and territories have committed to speed up progress.<\/p>\n
Jacqualine, who reported an educator to the regulator after her toddler said they were sexually assaulted and declined to use her last name to protect her child\u2019s privacy, described the review as a \u201cslap in the face\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost of the stuff in there I thought was common sense \u2013 I would have thought it would have been implemented a long time ago,\u201d she told this masthead.<\/p>\n
She said random inspections should be more frequent than once a year, which the report said would make Victoria \u201cnation-leading\u201d.<\/p>\n
Another parent, whose child was sexually abused by an educator for more than a year, and asked to remain anonymous to protect their child\u2019s privacy, said there had been too many reviews.<\/p>\n
Victoria Police arrested Joshua Brown on May 12 but spent weeks tracking his work history across more than 20 childcare centres over eight years. The lack of any register for childcare workers complicated this task, and authorities revealed only on July 1 that they had charged the 26-year-old with more than 70 offences, including child rape.<\/p>\n
Brown\u2019s case was pushed back until February<\/a> next year to allow detectives more time to investigate, after a court heard in July that more charges were likely to be laid. Brown\u2019s case remains before the courts.<\/p>\n Loading<\/p>\n Allan acknowledged trust in the system had been broken, but dismissed questions on whether her government should have acted years ago.<\/p>\n \u201cTo every family who has been hurt by these most horrific of allegations, I am truly sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n The Victorian branch of the Australian Education Union and parents\u2019 advocates The Parenthood both welcomed the recommendations.<\/p>\n Early education advocate Lisa Bryant said while the review made \u201csensible\u201d recommendations, it did not address workload pressures.<\/p>\n She agreed with the report\u2019s assessment that the early childcare system needed a fundamental reset. \u201cBut this report won\u2019t give us [that].\u201d<\/p>\n Get alerts on breaking news as it happens. Sign up for our Breaking News Alert<\/a>.<\/p>\n