Australia will implement a ‘banned in one, banned in all’ system for childcare workers to prevent individuals barred in one state from working with children in another jurisdiction. This reform addresses critical gaps in the current screening system following high-profile abuse cases that have shaken public trust in childcare safety nationwide.
The legislation spearheaded by Attorney-General Michelle Rowland will establish a national information-sharing framework between states and territories. Currently, childcare worker screening occurs independently in each jurisdiction without data sharing, allowing banned individuals to exploit this fragmentation by moving across state lines.
The reform comes in response to alarming abuse cases, including recent charges against a Melbourne childcare worker accused of 70 offences against eight infants. These incidents exposed systemic vulnerabilities nearly a decade after a landmark royal commission recommended nationalizing child safety checks.
Implementation is targeted for late 2025, though technical challenges remain due to incompatible IT systems across jurisdictions. The federal government has secured commitment from all state and territory attorneys-general to prioritize this ‘near real-time’ information exchange.
Concurrently, 30 childcare centers have been issued compliance notices requiring immediate safety improvements or face funding cuts. This forms part of broader reforms addressing both personnel screening and institutional standards in Australia’s childcare sector.
The changes respond to growing parental anxiety and aim to restore confidence in a system where families spend up to 67% of their income on childcare. The national screening capability will specifically flag individuals rejected due to criminal history or workplace misconduct.
Next steps include developing the technical infrastructure for inter-jurisdictional data sharing and establishing enforcement mechanisms. The government will monitor high-risk facilities while preparing for full implementation of the new screening protocol by year’s end.