Push for penalties to ensure childcare mobile phone ban compliance

Personal mobile phone bans in childcare centres must be backed by hefty penalties across all states to protect children, the Coalition has urged.

A policy banning personal mobile phones in childcare centres is “not enough” the Coalition has warned, urging the Albanese Government to ensure all states threaten providers with fines and penalties to “truly deter bad behaviour”.

Opposition education spokesman Jonno Duniam said states have been “far too slow” implementing changes designed to boost safety in the childcare sector, and should now follow moves by South Australia to ensure proactive compliance with personal device restrictions due to take effect from September 1.

Senator Jonno Duniam says policies are not enough to ensure compliance with the mobile phone ban.

Education Minister Jason Clare says getting personal phones and devices out of childcare centres is critical for the safety of children. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

SA this week announced plans to require all providers provide proof they have complied with the new guidelines or face fines of up to $50,000, or even suspension, while last month Victoria also signalled its own ban plans.

Mr Duniam said policies and guidelines were “not enough” given it was now two years after the national regulator’s safety review recommended mandating restrictions on personal devices in centres.

“We need all state and territory regulators to back up the intentions of these new guidelines with actual penalties, just like in South Australia, to truly deter bad behaviour in childcare centres,” he said.

“Parents are demanding action, and this is one simple step that will bring us closer to safer childcare settings.”

Childcare centres will have to ban personal mobile phone from September 1.

Mr Duniam said the Coalition was “ready” to work with the Albanese Government to “ensure that state and territories governments are doing their bit to protect Australian children”.

Education Minister Jason Clare said getting personal phones and devices out of childcare centres was “critical” for the safety of children.

“They’ll be banned in all childcare centres in every state and territory from 1 September,” he said.

“Education ministers will meet in two weeks time to discuss the next steps we need to take to help keep our children safe.”

From next month providers are required to develop policy and procedures for the “safe use of digital technologies and online environments”.

Guidelines state those policies must include that personal devices capable of taking images or videos are “not to be in the possession of any person while providing education and care and working directly with children”.

Only “service-issued” devices are to be used to take images or videos of children while providing education and care.

Originally published as Push for penalties to ensure childcare mobile phone ban compliance