Childcare overhaul looms after alleged horrific sexual abuse of 91 girls

Reforms to early childhood education in the wake of the alleged, horrific abuse of 91 girls by a child care worker will be discussed as education ministers meet in Hobart on Thursday.

Reforms to early childhood education in the wake of the alleged, horrific abuse of 91 girls by a child care worker will be discussed as education ministers meet in Hobart on Thursday.

Rules governing how artificial intelligence should be used in schools is also expected on the agenda, with a new framework to be rolled out this year.

The ministers, including Queensland’s Education Minister Grace Grace, previously commissioned Australian Children Education Quality and Care Authority to conduct a review into child care safety arrangements, looking at arrangements including mandatory reporting and teacher and education registration.

Ashley Paul Griffith is facing more than 1600 charges.

The report was commissioned in the wake of revelations a Gold Coast man had been charged with 1600 offences for allegations he raped and abused 91 girls at various child care centres in Queensland, NSW and overseas over 15 years.

The man has since been revealed as former child care worker Ashley Paul Griffith, 45, after Queensland changed laws which had previously prevented accused sex offenders from being named.

An ACEQCA representative is expected to update the ministers on the progress of the review, which is not due to be finalised until the end of the year.

The Australian Federal Police will also offer a briefing on their work on child protection.

Feedback from consultation on the draft AI framework for schools, developed by the National AI Taskforce, will also be presented to the ministers.

The draft looked at a range of issues, including the impact generative AI was likely to have on teaching and learning, as well as its potential for misuse in assessments.

Queensland Education Minister Grace Grace during a press conference in Brisbane. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare has previous said the AI was not going away, and “like a calculator or the internet” the system need to learn how to grapple with the technology.

The eSafety Commission Julie Inman Grant recently warned students had started use the technology to create harmful deepfake videos and audio, though Education Queensland has confirmed it has not been made aware of any specific reports of cyber-bullying involving AI generated material.

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare.