Leah Blyth (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Stronger Families and Stronger Communities) Share this | Hansard source

I too would like to echo the sentiments of my colleague Senator Duniam. The coalition will be supporting the Early Childhood Education and Care (Strengthening Regulation of Early Education) Bill 2025. And I think it's fair to say that this chamber is united in wanting to make sure that we are protecting the rights of children within our country. The horrifying reports of the alleged widespread abuse in the Australian childcare centres have rightly shocked the nation. As a mother, my heart absolutely goes out to all of the families that have been impacted. We are unwavering in our support for changes which better protect children in care settings and give confidence to the millions of families that rely on child care. For any parent, the safety and wellbeing of their children are paramount. When that trust is broken, the consequences are devastating for families and corrosive to society's confidence in institutions that are meant to protect and care for our most vulnerable.

In the wake of such revelations, it is natural to hear calls for more government action, more regulation, more oversight and more checks, but too often government responses are designed to demonstrate activity rather than deliver genuine solutions. When government solves one problem, it often creates two more in its place. Proposals such as mandating child welfare officers in every centre or expanding already burdensome background checks may sound reassuring, but they risk piling more bureaucracy on an already strained system, driving up the cost of child care and making it even harder for families to access affordable services, though I understand in this case there is a need for action.

The main levers to improve the safety of early learning centres for children are actually outside of the Commonwealth's legislative powers. They fall predominantly to the states and territories, who are responsible for the regulation of these services, and, as identified in the New South Wales Wheeler report, there is much more that state and territory regulators can and should do.

I would like to see measures to ensure centres aren't bogged down with paperwork and paralysed by compliance. I think it's important to note that, in this, we need to ensure that good people—passionate people dedicated to the care of our children—are still attracted to work in this vital industry. They are the very people we need, to keep our children safe.

We shouldn't be complacent and pretend that more federal, state or territory regulation somehow makes criminal behaviour less likely. We already have laws; every state and territory government has the legislative power to pursue and prosecute criminal conduct in early childhood settings. There is no one simple solution to keeping children safe, but I think it is fair to note that no amount of red tape can stop someone who is determined to do harm. We saw that in Queensland, in New South Wales and, most recently, in Victoria.

In December 2023, the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority published a review of child safety arrangements under the National Quality Framework. The government has had the regulator's review of child safety arrangements for more than 18 months. The Albanese government has been slow to act on the 16 recommendations. It has taken almost two years for the government to enact the simple change to the reporting requirements for physical and sexual abuse, from seven days to 24 hours, and it will come into force on 1 September this year. As Jason Clare said, those changes should have been implemented yesterday.

But you can't regulate morality, you can't legislate decency, and you certainly can't bureaucrat your way out of evil. The priority here is, absolutely, foremost, keeping our children safe. But I think it is time to think beyond the immediate fix. It's time to empower families. We should be supporting parents in making the choice that works best for them, whether that means returning to work and using a childcare centre or staying at home to care for their own children. It might even be using a relative or loved one to care for their children.

We should stop forcing families into rigid, one-size-fits-all systems and recognise the value of informal care, particularly that of grandparents, aunties, uncles, neighbours and members of the community—the people who already love and know these children. It is incumbent on all of us here to build a system that gives parents the financial freedom and the flexibility to choose what is right for their children and their families. For many families, especially in culturally diverse communities, informal family based care isn't a fallback; it's the norm. And our system should support, not penalise, that choice. If we truly want to keep our children safe—and I believe that everyone in this place does—then let's focus on strengthening families, not just growing government. Let's give families the tools, the trust and the freedom to raise their children in a way that suits them best.

This bill is well intentioned, but intention is not the same as impact. The coalition supports this bill, but real safety, real reform and real support for Australian families will not come from this bill alone. It will come when we stop reaching for more regulation and start reaching for common sense and policies that empower and give families the freedom to choose what works best for them.