Steph Hodgins-May (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Recent reports of abuse in early learning centres across Victoria are abhorrent and deeply disturbing. These are places where children should feel safe and be educated and nurtured, not put in harm's way. My heart breaks for the families who have experienced this profound betrayal of trust. As a mother of young children, it is impossible to comprehend what that betrayal of trust feels like.

But these incidents sadly cannot be seen in isolation. They are part of a disturbing pattern and the result of a system that is failing—a system that allows private providers to put profit before care. These providers consistently perform worse on quality and safety. They cut corners, bend staffing rules and churn through underpaid educators while often funnelling public money to offshore shareholders. This for-profit childcare model is untenable. Until the government confronts that fact, the measures introduced today in the other place, while welcome, will fall short of what is needed to keep children safe and deliver the high-quality early learning system that every single child in this country deserves. I have personally reached out to the Prime Minister and to Minister Walsh to offer to work together. We must work together; our children are too important for us not to. The Greens have a plan, including to establish an independent watchdog with teeth. The sector is calling for change, and we are ready to work together on real reform with this government.

I also want to acknowledge our educators who are dedicated professionals and are deeply committed to the children in their care, and I see that every time I drop my daughter off at child care. I know many of them personally and I see the commitment they make every single day. But they are underpaid and undervalued and they work in a system that often doesn't centre their expertise or the needs of children. To those educators: we see you and we'll keep fighting for better pay, for better working conditions and for an early learning system that puts people ahead of profit.

I also stand before this parliament carrying the stories of too many Australians who should be safe to love and exist yet who find themselves under attack once again. Two queer businesses in Melbourne, long established as safe havens for gay men and the wider queer community, were defaced with slurs and Nazi hate symbols less than three weeks ago. Disturbingly, these aren't isolated acts. We also know of reports of assaults and robberies targeting the users of gay dating apps. Police have made 35 arrests in connection with these attacks in Victoria alone, and advocates have stressed that in many cases victims are unable to come forward, meaning that we don't likely know the true extent and prevalence of this horrific violence. These attacks aren't new but the most recent in a wave of targeted violence against queer people. While the broader community has made strides towards greater equality and inclusion, within the far-right fringe there is a crisis of dangerous, anti-queer hatred, and I must call out what has been a failure of successive governments to adequately recognise it. The rise of the far right and its success in radicalising young people online has been a driving force of this crisis for years. We saw it in 2023 when antitrans hate culminated in the shutdown of drag storytime events across Victoria, and I can see the same deranged rhetoric being repackaged and repurposed to vilify the LGBTIQA+ community in 2025.

The Greens have recommended reforms aimed at stopping the proliferation of hate online and the deep harm that it causes. Stronger measures, like a digital duty of care, tighter data protections and a ban on profiting from extreme content, could help make online spaces safer, especially for young queer people, who are far too often the targets of abuse, hate and violence. The community is also calling for urgent action in our schools, including inclusive curriculums, the removal of laws that allow discrimination against queer teachers and students, and a national education campaign to promote acceptance of trans and gender-diverse people. These reforms are about creating a future where the community can live, work and learn in safety, dignity and pride. It is unacceptable that trans, queer and gender non-conforming people are time and time again having to rally together to create safety when the government should be guaranteeing their safety. Queer people deserve to lead safe, respected and valued lives, free from discrimination and hate. Equality is non-negotiable. The Greens are here with you, and we will be unrelenting in our fight for your rights. (Time expired)