Early childhood education and care system under microscope in parliamentary inquiry

A parliamentary inquiry will look into the childcare sector following criticism from the Greens that Labor’s existing review was inadequate and that the government was “marking its own homework behind closed doors”.

Victoria’s early childhood education and care system will be probed by a powerful parliamentary inquiry.

The upper house on Wednesday passed a motion to establish a select committee to probe checks in a move it says will go further than the current Allan government review.

Under its terms of reference the committee will investigate:

• WHETHER current safety and quality standards in early childhood services are adequate,

• THE quality and oversight of educator training, qualifications, and Working With Children Checks,

The early childhood education and care system will be probed by a powerful parliamentary inquiry. Picture: Thinkstock

• HOW privatisation impacts affordability, accessibility, safety and outcomes – compared with public and not-for-profit models,

• WORKFORCE conditions, including pay, workload, job security and how this affects retention and quality,

• WHETHER current staff-to-child ratios are appropriate and applied correctly across services, and

• THE role of the Department of Education in monitoring services and maintaining child safety issues.

A motion to establish the committee was moved by the Greens, who argued Labor’s existing review was inadequately examining the role of the Department of Education as regulator.

“The Greens have led the charge to get this inquiry up because families deserve real answers, not the Labor government marking its own homework behind closed doors,” Greens MP Anasina Gray-Barberio said.

“Labor has been dodging accountability, finding every excuse not to produce key documents, but this independent inquiry will help hold them to account and make sure nothing is swept under the rug.”

“We’ve heard too many stories of children being harmed while complaints were ignored. This inquiry will help uncover what’s gone wrong and how we fix it.”

Former South Australia premier Jay Weatherill, alongside Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority chair Pamela White, has been appointed to head the Allan government’s review.

But the appropriateness of the former South Australian Labor premier’s suitability for the job has been called into question given he oversaw the worst child ­protection failure in his state’s history.

But Jacinta Allan has publicly defended the appointment saying Mr Weatherill was “recognised for his leadership in early childhood and tertiary education”.

On Tuesday the Premier voted to block a bid by the state Opposition to introduce new legislation to overhaul Victoria’s embattled Working With Children Check system.

Jacinta Allan voted to block the opposition’s bid to overhaul the Working With Children Check system. Picture: Valeriu Campan

The Allan government blocked the introduction of the Worker Screen Amendment (Safety of Children) Bill, that Opposition Leader Brad Battin said would urgently strengthen existing laws.

But government MPs hit back saying a review into the system was already well underway.

On Wednesday, Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn clapped back at the Coalition over their attempt to push through their own childcare reforms, accusing them of “grandstanding” and “playing politics”.

“It’s important that we let the (Weatherill) review run its course,” she said.

Ms Blandthorn, however, couldn’t say when the recommendations from the rapid review, which will be handed to the government on August 15, would be made public.

“I can assure you that at the earliest possible opportunity we will be sharing it … with the community at large,” she said.

She was also pressed over the state’s new childcare worker registration system, clarifying that casual workers would be registered by August 29, along with full time staff.

However, agency workers and family daycare workers will not be captured until October.

Originally published as Early childhood education and care system under microscope in parliamentary inquiry