Interview - ABC Radio National Breakfast

SALLY SARA, HOST: The revelations were harrowing. This year the ABC's Four Corners program exposed cases of child abuse and alleged child abuse, neglect and injury within the child care sector, highlighting critical gaps in safety and accountability. The Productivity Commission recommended an independent review of national child care standards, but the Federal Government is yet to commit to such a review. Meanwhile, early childhood educators, some of the lowest paid workers in the country, will get a pay rise today. Jess Walsh is the Minister for Early Childhood Education and joins me now. Minister, welcome back to Radio National Breakfast.

JESS WALSH, MINISTER FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND MINISTER FOR YOUTH: Thanks for having me, Sally.

SARA: Will there be an independent review as recommended by the Productivity Commission?

WALSH: Well, Sally, as you said in your opening remarks there, the Productivity Commission recommended the pay rise that we're celebrating today and it made a number of other recommendations as well. In terms of reviewing the National Quality Framework, the National Quality Framework was legislated back in 2010, it was reviewed in 2019. We're focussed today on the urgent actions that are required to strengthen the sector, including with this pay rise, an $11,000 a year pay bump for our nation's early educators, and a really important measure to keep them in the sector and to build a strong and stable workforce.

SARA: So to come back to the question about an independent review, the one recommended by the Productivity Commission, is that a no?

WALSH: It's not a no, Sally. A review of the National Quality Framework is something that could happen in the future. It was one of many recommendations of the Productivity Commission in their review into a pathway to universal early education in this country. Another one of the big recommendations was the pay rise. This is a workforce that has been underpaid and undervalued for too long. When we took office, that meant that early educators were leaving the sector in droves. We wanted to see a strong, stable workforce to deliver quality early education, and that's why we've committed to this pay rise. And it is paying dividends. It's reducing turnover in the sector. It's allowing educators to stay in jobs that they love. That's good for them but it's also good for the children in their care because a strong, stable workforce is the foundation for quality early education.

SARA: So can you tell me the Government's thinking here, because one recommendation by the Productivity Commission for this wage increase, you've grabbed on to that and implemented it, but the independent review, you're saying it's something that could happen but there's nothing definite there. What's the Government's thinking? Why the different approaches there?

WALSH: So, we're implementing the Productivity Commission's findings. The pay rise was a big one. Another one you'll remember, Sally, was to replace the activity test with guaranteed three-day subsidy for every child, no matter what their parents do. And that will roll out from January 5. Another recommendation was that we deal with child care deserts where children don't have access to early learning in our outer suburbs and regions as much as they should, and that's why we're delivering a billion dollar Building Early Education Fund. In relation to the –

SARA: So again, there's some urgency, sorry, there's urgency with those other issues, why not on the independent review?

WALSH: So we are certainly acting with urgency, Sally, when it comes to the matters that you spoke about earlier. We are strengthening the sector, not just with this pay rise but with a whole lot of measures that were announced back in August. The biggest changes to the National Quality Framework, actually, in the 15 years of operation of that system. We're investing in mandatory child safe training for our educators, we're developing the first ever register of early childhood educators, we are providing more information to parents, we're strengthening the penalties, we're improving the regulation of the sector. So we're focussed on the urgent actions to keep children safe, and we're focussed on building a strong and stable sector, and this pay rise is a big part of that.

SARA: Minister, what update can you provide on efforts to standardise Working With Children Checks across States and Territories? Is that completed?

WALSH: That's work, as you know, Sally, that's being undertaken by the Attorneys-General. So both Attorneys-General group around the country and the Education Ministers are very focussed on all the measures that are needed to keep children safe. What the Attorneys General have announced is a national system where if you're banned in one state you'll be banned in every state. And they've also announced –

SARA: When does that come into effect? Just the dates of it?

WALSH: The dates would be with the Attorneys-General because it's in their portfolio. But what they've said is if you're banned in one state, you'll be banned in every state. And they're also moving to a real-time checking of Working With Children's Check approach. From the early childhood perspective, I just want to be clear, that if you are – if you don't have valid Working With Children Check with early childhood education you can't work in the sector, and that real-time reporting will be really helpful in early childhood education.

SARA: But you can, you can right now, can't you? Because it's not standardised?

WALSH: You cannot work in early childhood education without a valid Working With Children Check.

SARA: But you can get one in a state having lost it another, still?

WALSH: That is not the case in the early childhood education sector. If you're banned in one state in early childhood education, you won't be able to work in another state.

SARA: But right now, from what I understand, that's the intention, but that system’s not in place right now?

WALSH: Again, I can only speak for my portfolio, Sally. So in early childhood education, if you don't have a valid Working With Children Check, you can't work in the sector, and I understand –

SARA: But you can get one even if you've been cancelled?

WALSH: I understand, Sally, that the approach taken in early learning is a national approach, and if you're prohibited in one place you're prohibited everywhere in early childhood education.

SARA: Is that system in place right now or is there a date when that will be in place?

WALSH: The system in early childhood education, where if you're prohibited in one place you're prohibited everywhere, is already in place. The Attorneys General are looking at a broader set of reforms, as I understand it, across Working With Children's Checks, real-time updates and banned in one state banned in all states.

SARA: A United Workers Union survey of 2,100 child care workers found that around 40 per cent believed their centre was operating below minimum staffing levels on a daily basis. Do you believe children are at risk because of staffing shortages?

WALSH: Well, we want to see a strong and stable workforce. I've been hearing from educators when I visit services almost every week that they have concerns about staffing levels. So two things on that, Sally. One is again that this pay rise is incredibly important for stabilising the sector. We need educators to be able to stay in the jobs that they love, and this $11,000 a year pay bump funded by the Commonwealth is really important in achieving that. Second, I am concerned that some providers may not be following what are actually world-leading ratios of educators to children in services.  Educators tell me about staffing loopholes that some providers may exploit. We're concerned about that and that's why we've asked the national quality authority, ACECQA, to do a rapid review into safe staffing practices in services, and that's due to come to us this month.

SARA: We're coming to the end of the year. When the New Year begins, and parents are sending their kids to child care, can the Government guarantee that they will be cared for by staff who are safe, who have not had Working With Children Checks cancelled in other States or Territories?

WALSH: We can guarantee that we are strengthening the sector and parents should be confident about that. Every child deserves to be safe, and parents deserve to know that their children are safe. And again, that is why we have delivered and are implementing what is the biggest package of reforms to this system in the 15 years of its operation. We're strengthening the workforce. We’re strengthening the rules in centres and we're strengthening the regulation. And again, Sally, this pay rise is a really important part of it, because when parents go to centres they want to see the same faces. They want to know the educator who is caring for and educating their children. And that is exactly what this pay rise will deliver.

SARA: Minister, thank you for your time this morning on Breakfast.

WALSH: Thanks, Sally.

SARA: Jess Walsh is the Minister for Early Childhood Education.