Care horror is a breach of faith

Education Minister Jason Clare said it all on Friday when interviewed on Sky News about the appalling, unforgivable cases of sexual abuse of children by an employee of Victorian daycare centres: “Not enough has been done and not fast enough.”

He could have added that a national disgrace has occurred in part because of bureaucratic back-covering and the failures of our federal system. A bare fortnight ago Mr Clare announced new safety changes in centres, accompanied by glib generalities from state and territory ministers. “The safety and wellbeing of children is our highest priority – and here in Victoria we work every day to make sure they are safe, supported and ready to thrive,” Victorian Children’s Minister Lizzie Blandthorn said.

Yet 1200 Victorian children have needed testing for infectious diseases following news that a man who had worked at 20 childcare centres across Melbourne is charged with more than 70 child sex offences. And what happened in Victoria could have happened and may be happening anywhere across the country – the boundless cunning of evil people is always with us.

That it is does not absolve service providers from eternal vigilance: Did co-workers of the accused never notice suspect behaviour? Did their employers not obsess about surveillance systems and credential checks? It does not exonerate state-based regulators from ensuring what needs doing is done.

Mr Clare said the federal government would now legislate to “pull the funding” of childcare centres “that aren’t up to scratch, that are persistently failing in meeting the safety and quality standards that we as a country expect of them”. And for all the state and federal regulators already in place, what happens now?

What will happen now is a crisis of confidence in the idea of childcare. While carers and teachers are honoured members of an essential profession, the Albanese government funds parents to use services on the assumption that what loving families can do, government-funded – and preferably unionised – educators can do better.

In fact, many, probably most, parents would prefer to spend their children’s preschool years at home with them but cannot afford to. This makes the events of the week a breach of the social contract between government and Australian families.

If the cost of housing and the tax system mean single-parent and couple families alike must send their children to care while they work, the centres they use must be way, way, way more than good for the socialisation and learning of babies, toddlers and preschoolers – they must be safe. And across Australia, parents are wondering whether the centres their children attend are.