Shocking allegations of children being sexually abused, restrained for hours, and served low-quality meals have prompted a government-backed parliamentary inquiry into the childcare sector.
The New South Wales (NSW) probe is the first called since an ABC investigation revealed widespread failings in the nation’s burgeoning for-profit childcare system.
Greens MP Abigail Boyd, who will chair the NSW inquiry, said a parliamentary committee would investigate failures in the early childhood education and care sector.
“Dropping your child off at an early learning centre in the morning is an enormous act of trust but it doesn’t need to be a blind leap of faith,” she said on March 21.
“Families deserve transparency and accountability, and that’s what a parliamentary investigation can help to deliver.”
An ABC Four Corners investigation exposed alleged child sexual abuse being ignored by regulators and service providers prioritising profit over care amid lacklustre enforcement.
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Up to 47,000 children were attending for-profit facilities that were failing to meet national standards, the program said.
Almost three-in-four childcare services nationwide are privately owned in a sector beset by soaring fees and shortages in many rural and lower-income areas, despite governments providing billions in annual subsidies.
Premier Chris Minns said his government supported the inquiry to ensure children were safe.
“Any kind of information or spotlight that’s been shined on the sector is absolutely important,” he said.
Private operators’ domination of the sector in NSW, relative to states such as Queensland and Victoria, meant there needed to be “strong oversight and a tough regulator”, Minns said.
“We need to make sure that the systems are in place to crack down on those that are breaching the rules … and to wipe out the bad and rogue elements from the industry.”
Boyd said securing unanimous support from all sides of politics showed the revelations had touched a nerve.
“The safety and wellbeing of the children of this state is an issue that transcends political persuasions,” she said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese previously ruled out calls to establish a royal commission, saying the evidence presented on the program represented what were already clear regulatory breaches.
