By Emily Kowal and Lucy Carroll
Parents of a child who hit their head on the bathroom floor of a daycare centre were not told about the incident until the child presented to hospital three weeks later with a fractured skull, a NSW budget estimates hearing has been told.
An investigation found Busy Bees childcare centre in Newcastle failed to report the fall, the child was not monitored for concussion and no first aid was administered, according to a compliance letter seen by the Herald.
The daycare is one example of “hundreds” of centres that continued to operate despite having extensive compliance issues and breaches, said Greens MPs Abigail Boyd, who also chairs the upper house inquiry into the early childhood education sector.
There is now no public database of incidents at childcare centres.Credit: Monique Westermann
Acting Education Minister Courtney Houssos conceded more transparency was needed in the sector, admitting parents were being kept in the dark about breaches in childcare centres, only finding about incidents months after they occur – if they are disclosed at all.
“As it stands at the moment, the regulator can’t actually speak publicly about the actions they are taking,” Houssos said. “That would obviously be one of the key changes we would want from the regulator.
“Our position is [that] the best place to do this is through the national law … but I have been really clear if we can’t get national law reform, we will introduce this.”
In July, the Herald revealed childcare centres are operating on years-old quality assessments, with widespread use of waivers allowing centres to continue despite not meeting standards for staffing and facilities.
There is now no public database of incidents at childcare centres. Parents will know if a centre has experienced a compliance issue only if they ask to view their records or if their child is directly involved.
Houssos was pressed on the findings of an independent review into the childcare sector by former deputy NSW Ombudsman Chris Wheeler, published last month.
The regulatory authority keeps “secret” ratings for services that only the regulatory authority can see, Boyd said.
“We have the ratings for services that the public can see, and then we have these separate regulatory authority ratings that only the regulatory authority can see,” she said.
Greens MP Abigail Boyd chairs the NSW Parliament education committee and fought for documents revealing childcare failures to be released. Credit: Jessica Hromas
The letter sent to Busy Bees from the NSW early childhood regulator raised concerns about the centre’s history of “extensive non-compliance”, with “repeated failures to comply with national law and regulations over an extended period of time”.
Between 2020 and 2024, the centre was issued 13 compliance actions, and a total of 52 breaches were substantiated, with 23 serious incidents and 14 complaints.
According to the letter, the child’s fall occurred on February 20 last year, but the parents were not notified until March 13 when the child was admitted to hospital due to a large fluid lump and skull fracture.
Acting Education Minister Courtney Houssos has admitted parents were being kept in the dark about breaches in childcare centres.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer
The fracture could have been caused by the fall and that the head injury was untreated and could have led to “bleeding on the brain and even death”, the letter said.
The Education Department said the regulatory authority conducted a thorough investigation into the serious incident and the provider was required to provide extensive evidence.
“We continue to closely monitor the service – including through unannounced visits – to ensure it is complying with the national law and regulations,” a department spokesperson said.
A spokesman for Busy Bees Australia said: “The wellbeing and safety of all children in our care is, and always will be, our highest priority.
“Our New Lambton centre was issued a show cause notice in July 2024, which we took immediate action to address. In October 2024, following an onsite visit, the regulator acknowledged extensive improvements to the centre and advised that the centre would continue to operate without restrictions.”
Houssos said regulators need to be allowed to provide parents with “more information”.
“At the moment, if there is a breach in a centre, parents are not told about it. The community is not told about it. The only point of reference they have is the existing rating that is issued by the regulator or if the service is shut down,” she said.
“We want them to feel confident whenever parents drop off their kids at their local centre that they are having access to safe and quality centres, and the way that we do that, a key part of rebuilding that confidence, is about giving them that information”.
Houssos said it was “completely unacceptable” to withhold information from parents.
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