People banned from holding a working with children check in one jurisdiction will be banned in all under fast-tracked reforms to be delivered by the end of the year.
Attorney-General Michelle Rowland announced on Friday her state and territory counterparts had committed to a “long overdue” scheme, where different systems across the nation will communicate with each other.
But there won’t be a national working with children check, with jurisdictions to continue managing their own systems.
“We now have a moment as a country, as a federation, to get this done,” she told reporters in Sydney.
“Attorneys-general today agreed to toughening the system by ensuring that if you’re banned from holding a working with children check in one jurisdiction, you are banned in all of them.”
Ms Rowland said her counterparts supported accelerating delivery of the reform by the end of the year.
“There is a firm commitment from all states and territories to pull out all stops and we are working together as a team,” she said.
Education Minister Jason Clare also announced compliance action had been initiated against 30 early childhood centres under laws passed by the federal parliament in July.
Under the changes, funding will be stripped from centres not meeting safety standards.
Calls for a unified system have been growing following multiple reports of abuse in childcare centres.
In one case, a Victorian childcare worker was allowed to retain his working with children check and work in the sector despite a major provider substantiating grooming allegations.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the reports were shocking and more needed to be done to fix working with children checks.
“It’s hopeless, and we need to do better, quite clearly, and these revelations are a wake-up call for state and territory governments in terms of the regulations,” he told ABC Radio on Friday.
“The reports that we’ve seen recently have shocked parents and (are) every parent’s worst nightmare. That’s why we are taking action at the national level.”
Recommendations for a national scheme were made in 2015 as part of a royal commission into child sexual abuse.
Ms Rowland acknowledged the reform had not happened quickly enough and had been “let down by successive governments at all levels”.
“We are here as representatives of the states, territories and Commonwealth to say we’re here to make that right, and that is why we are taking decisive action,” she said.
A NSW parliamentary inquiry on Thursday was told childcare centres were not checking whether staff were allowed to work with children before they were hired.
The inquiry was also told banned workers were able to remain in the industry for years without oversight.
Opposition education spokesman Jonno Duniam said “there is no time to waste to put stronger measures in place to protect children in child care”.
The Greens will move to establish a senate inquiry into the safety and quality of early childhood education when parliament resumes later in August.
The nation’s education ministers will meet next week to consider further child safety laws for childcare centres.
Among the measures being considered are use of CCTV in centres and mandatory child safety training.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
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