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The federal government has followed through on its promise to name and shame childcare centres that are failing to meet the national standards.
The Department of Education announced today that funding conditions have been imposed on 29 early childhood education and care (ECEC) services for repeatedly failing to meet National Quality Standards over several years, following the passage of new legislation in parliament last month.
Among these centers, 11 are located in Western Australia, which accounts for over a third, with seven in New South Wales, five in Queensland, four in Victoria, and two in South Australia.
See the full list of childcare centres named by the government in the table below:
None of the 29 services have had their child care subsidy approval suspended or cancelled.
The compliance action does not relate to any criminal allegations, which are handled by state authorities including police.
Last week, the federal government disclosed that it had taken measures against these centers, utilizing the new authority granted by legislation passed during the first parliamentary session in July.
“We acted promptly under the new laws to start restoring trust in a system that parents rely on,” stated Education Minister Jason Clare.
“This is not about closing centres down, it’s about lifting standards up.
“Over the next six months, these centres will need to lift their game or they will face further consequences including the cutting off of funding.
“This action puts those centres on notice that they need to put the safety of our children first.”
This legislative move to enable the withdrawal of funding from non-compliant centers gained support from both parties after allegations of child sexual abuse involving two separate workers emerged in New South Wales and Victoria.
Joshua Dale Brown, 26, has been charged with 70 offences allegedly committed while working at childcare centres in Melbourne.
David William James, 26, has been charged with 13 offences while working at out-of-school-hours care services in Sydney.
