2025-10-10
The Greens say the early education and care system is in desperate need of overhaul after today’s shocking reports revealed further safety and reporting concerns and a preventable infant death in an unlicensed childcare centre.
Today, the ABC and The Sydney Morning Herald revealed:
- Childcare company Affinity Education withheld information from detectives during the Joshua Brown investigation.
- A 15 week old baby died in an unlicensed care centre while in an unsafe sleeping environment.
Senator Steph Hodgins-May, the Australian Greens spokesperson for early childhood education and care will question the federal Department of Education at Senate Estimates tomorrow (Friday) on key issues of quality and safety and the rollout of safety reforms announced by the Government.
In August, the Greens successfully established a Senate Inquiry into the quality and safety of early childhood education and care after the government failed to adequately address the deep flaws in the system and responded with piecemeal fixes.
Lines attributable to Greens spokesperson for early education and care, Senator Steph Hodgins-May:
“As a parent, it’s distressing to see our childcare system continue to let down children and families.
“Time and time again, the system is allowing these cases of malpractice to go unchecked. It’s a symptom of a broken, profit-driven system.
“While the Labor government drags its feet with band-aid fixes, children, parents and educators are paying the price through unsafe environments and ignored complaints.
"A market-driven childcare system will always put profit over the safety and quality of our children’s care.
“In Estimates tomorrow, I’ll be pressing the Department of Education for answers on how it intends to provide the accountability parents deserve.
“We have also established a Senate Inquiry into the quality and safety of early learning, to uncover the systemic failings and put forward strong reforms so parents can finally trust the system. The inquiry will report back in March, and we look forward to its findings.