NT government announces tough new childcare safety reforms and crackdown on centres
An NT government ‘crackdown’ on childcare centres not meeting national safety standards could include fines and threats of prosecution. See which centres are on the list.
The latest government “crackdown” on Northern Territory childcare centres will include fines and threats of prosecution.
Education Minister Jo Hersey announced the tough reforms on Monday in response to the “catastrophic incident” at Humpty Doo Community and Childcare Centre in 2023 which cost the life of 22-month old Ebony Thompson.
“We as a government have spoken to the (Thompson) family and listened to them,” Mrs Hersey said.
“Every day parents drop their children off to a child care centre, they need to know that their children are in the best care and that when they drop them off, they can pick them up as happy little people as well.”
The government’s Safe Start, Strong Futures plan includes four pillars: strengthened accountability, targeted investment, continuous improvement and meaningful engagement.
The most ambitious goal is to see all 235 NT childcare services meet National Quality Standard (NQS) area two, children’s health and safety, by June 30, 2026.
Mrs Hersey said her government “would not accept” centres not meeting the deadline, and hinted at threats of fines.
“We as a government will not back down from the safety measures we have announced today,” she said.
“It will not be acceptable”.
The NT News can reveal 28 services across the Territory are currently not meeting the safety standard, including 11 that have not been assessed in more than two years.
Three of those have not been assessed in more than four years, leading to criticism the regulator Quality Education and Care NT (QECNT) was not doing its job.
Mrs Hersey said her government would hire an additional five QECNT officers to address the delays.
The government’s plan also described an “overhaul” of QECNT.
But the minister stopped short of endorsing the QECNT leadership.
The NT has the second highest proportion of childcare centres not meeting the NQS, with the NT News exposing some centres had gone more than five years without a rating.
These delays are despite QECNT’s own policy recommending reassessment within two years for centres not meeting the NQS and three years for those meeting.
The safety reforms also include a scholarship for 25 early educators to boost the local workforce and national advocacy for loop top fencing bans.
A campaign to ban loop top fences in childcare settings was part of the Ebony’s Law recommendations made by the Thompson family following Ebony’s tragic death.
Mrs Hersey confirmed she had written to federal Early Education Minister Dr Jess Walsh and the loop-top fencing issue would be raised at the next meeting of education ministers in February, 2026.
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Originally published as NT government announces tough new childcare safety reforms and crackdown on centres
