Next steps to strengthen early education as more services meeting standards than ever

The percentage of early learning services meeting Australia’s national quality and safety standards has reached the highest level ever. 

The latest National Quality Framework (NQF) Snapshot for Q3 2026 shows 93 per cent of services are now rated as Meeting the National Quality Standard or above.

This is up from 88 per cent when the Government came to office.

A record 6,925 service visits were conducted during the quarter, the highest number ever recorded.

Reliance on staffing waivers has also fallen again, with waivers used by 3.6 per cent of services this quarter, the lowest since 2015. 

This follows significant investment in the early education and care workforce. In June this year the Government extended the historic 15 per cent pay rise for early education and care workers. 

As part of the extension, a new condition was placed on services requiring them to meet the national safety standard to be eligible for the payment.

At a meeting of Education Ministers this week, Ministers agreed to take the next step towards a potential Early Education and Care Commission.

Ministers agreed a Commission could help drive long-term reform, provide information on supply and demand, and advise on safety and quality across the whole system. Design work for a potential Commission will continue ahead of further consideration next year.

Ministers also considered the findings of a National Assessment of CCTV use in ECEC settings, which involved a trial of more than 300 services, supported by experts including the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Centre for Child Protection.

The trial found that CCTV can be a valuable tool when used as part of a broader safeguarding approach but cannot and should not replace active supervision by trained educators.

Ministers agreed to develop national best practice guidance on safe and effective installation, use, and governance of CCTV in ECEC settings.

The Australian Government will also establish an $11.5 million Commonwealth grants program targeted to not for profit child care services to install or upgrade CCTV. 

National best practice guidance on safe and effective installation, use, and governance of CCTV in ECEC settings will also be developed. 

The CCTV trial forms part of an almost half-a-billion-dollar package of safety reforms being rolled out by the Albanese Government with states and territories.

Other reforms include mandatory child safety training, establishing a national worker register and banning personal devices in centres. 

Quotes attributable to Minister for Education Jason Clare:
“More services are meeting national standards than ever before. 

“Regulator checks are up and the use of staffing waivers is down. 

“This is encouraging but there is more work to do.

“That includes continuing to roll out mandatory safety training and providing funding to small not for profit child care services to install or upgrade CCTV.

“This is all about making sure safety and quality in early education is what parents expect and what our children deserve.”

Quotes attributable to Minister for Early Childhood Education Jess Walsh:
"Education Ministers made further progress on a potential Early Education and Care Commission, agreeing key elements of the proposed model to strengthen leadership, accountability and public confidence across the sector.

"It's very encouraging to see 93 per cent of services now meeting or exceeding the National Quality Standard, the highest result on record.

"We're seeing fewer services relying on staffing waivers than at any time in more than a decade, reflecting a stronger and more stable early childhood workforce.

"The Albanese Government's historic 15 per cent pay rise is helping educators stay in the jobs they love and helping services attract and retain qualified staff."