2025-07-11
This op-ed was published in the Canberra Times in July 2025.
With parliament returning in just two weeks, we have a rare chance to work together across parliament on real and lasting childcare reform. It’s an opportunity we cannot afford to miss.
Last week, like so many other parents, I packed my young daughter’s bags for childcare — water bottle, change of clothes, comfort toy — the daily rhythm of a busy working family.
But as I zipped her jacket and kissed her goodbye, I felt physically sick. That morning’s headlines reported alleged sexual abuse by a childcare worker across multiple Melbourne centres. It was worse than any parent’s worst nightmare.
My heart is with the children and families affected. Early learning centres should be safe, nurturing places, not sites of trauma. The vast majority of educators do their work out of deep love and commitment to the care and education of children. No parent should have to wonder whether their child will be safe in care. And yet, right now, too many are.
Tragically, this isn’t an isolated case. Whilst particularly horrific, it’s just the latest in a growing, devastating pattern exposed by brave families, educators and whistleblowers, and brought to light by investigative journalists and my Greens colleagues in NSW and VIC demanding that reports be made transparent by governments. What we’re seeing is a system cracking open, revealing abuse, neglect and failure.
Much of the government’s response, whilst important, has been reactive and piecemeal: CCTV, phone bans, tweaks to regulation. There aren’t any silver bullets, and most of these measures only kick-in only after something has already gone horribly wrong. What we need is a whole-of-sector response that prevents harm before it occurs.
That’s why the Greens are also calling for the immediate establishment of an independent national Early Childhood Education Commission, a real watchdog with real teeth to act.
Our costed watchdog plan is backed by sector leaders. It’s practical, ready, and urgently needed.
In the past week, I have personally written to the Prime Minister and the opposition, urging action, and specifically to look to establish this watchdog without delay. We cannot afford to wait for another tragedy before putting proper protections in place.
The system is fragmented, inconsistently regulated, and leaves families in the dark — while unsafe centres keep operating.
A national watchdog would work to fix this. It would enforce quality and safety standards, shut down unsafe providers, and work with states and territories to close dangerous regulatory gaps that might be allowing abusers to slip through the cracks. It would also lead the long-term transition to a universal, high-quality early learning system, collecting data, evaluating outcomes and setting national benchmarks.
Australia already has world-leading National Quality Standards, but standards alone aren’t enough without national oversight and regulation. This watchdog would provide the strong, independent leadership and clear accountability that is so desperately missing right now.
Because the current model — one that pours billions into a largely privatised sector (around 70% for long daycare, and around 50% overall) without adequate oversight — is failing. No one knows that better than the educators who show up every day, doing their best in a system that too often undervalues them. Many have been raising alarm bells for years, and we haven't listened.
Early learning is one of the most powerful tools we have to reduce inequality and set children up for lifelong success. It helps kids thrive, enables parents to return to work and strengthens our economy. But only if it’s safe. Only if it’s properly funded. And only if it’s treated as the public good it is.
One in four communities are in childcare deserts, and many families still face huge out-of-pocket costs. We’d never run public schools this way. Why do we tolerate it in early learning?
The Greens believe we can do better. We’ve already put forward a bold but practical plan: a publicly funded, universal early learning system. One that removes the profit motive, directly funds providers and supports high-quality not for profit and public centres to thrive.
And yes, we can do both. We can act now to improve safety, while laying the foundations for a better system in the future. In fact, we have to do both.
Parliament returns in two weeks. The Prime Minister has said he wants early learning to be part of his legacy, and the Liberals have signaled a willingness to work on meaningful change as well. Our message is clear: let’s make that legacy real. Not with more patch-ups, but with genuine reform. With bold, structural change that puts children, families and educators at the centre.
And here’s the opportunity. The safety of children is not a partisan issue. The time is right for Labor, the Coalition and the Greens to come together to deliver once-in-a-generation reform that finally puts children’s wellbeing first.
It’s time to stop patching the cracks. It’s time to build the system our children deserve.