The Algorithm Age

A string of sexual abuse allegations against a childcare worker in Melbourne have brought regulation of the early childhood sector back into the national conversation. Advocates for children's rights and prevention of abuse say oversight of the system is flawed, and that robust federal intervention is needed to ensure the safety of society's youngest while in care. The Victorian government has announced it will fast-track reforms into the childcare sector and has commissioned an urgent review to be turned around in about six weeks. Nationally, the system for regulating early childhood education and care falls to an independent statutory authority, but there is neither a ministry nor a regulator dedicated to it. Here's what we know about the regulatory framework as it currently stands. What are the rules for child safety in childcare centres? Victoria's early childhood sector is regulated under a combination of Commonwealth and s...

Ministers are racing to close gaps in Australia's child safety laws that have been left open for years, in the wake of another shocking case of alleged child abuse at a centre in Victoria. State and territory governments have responsibility for child protection and enforcement in childcare centres — but it is the Commonwealth that funds providers. That tension is again in question after a 26-year-old man was charged with dozens of child abuse offences at the Creative Garden Early Learning Centre in Point Cook. It has reopened questions about gaps in Australia's laws, including how unsafe centres continue to receive funding, around how safety standards are enforced and around the systems monitoring workers — which remain a patchwork of rules a decade on from recommendations for reform. Education Minister Jason Clare has reaffirmed that the government is urgently progressing laws it announced in March to strip funding from childcare providers who rep...

The West Australian government has defended its hardline liquor restrictions after an independent review found the scheme had "mixed" results in reducing alcohol-related harm. The report's release comes as state parliament debates a new bill looking to lock in the Banned Drinkers Register (BDR) and other measures across a large swathe of regional WA. In Broome on Tuesday Racing and Gaming Minister Paul Papalia said the restrictions had slashed crime in the Kimberley town. "We've had an overall drop in overall crime of 33 per cent over the two years since they were introduced," he said. "In Derby the drop was over 19 per cent for family and domestic violence-related crime. "It's a positive impact and we want to see it continue into the future." The BDR, which prohibits individuals from purchasing takeaway alcohol, has been trialled in the Kimberley, Pilbara, and Goldfields regions since 2...

New South Wales' early childhood sector will be a subject to a number of "nation-leading" reforms, the state government has announced, following the findings of an independent review into the sector regarding a rise in safety breaches. As announced by the Minns government on Thursday, these reforms will be centred around transparency and improving child safety. These planned changes include childcare providers being required to notify families if they are being investigated for serious breaches, a mandate for service quality and safety performance information to be appropriately published, as well as legislative changes to increase penalties over breaches to national regulations. But the government's plan is to also establish a state-based early childhood regulator, independent from the federal Department of Education, that will report directly to the NSW minister of education and have "stronger powers and accountability". ...

The Fair Work Commission has found a tradie was “forced to resign” from his job after his employer swore at him during a secretly recorded meeting about his performance. A workplace lawyer said the issue “cuts both ways” with both employees and employers potentially able to take action if they face swearing at work . Commissioner Susie Allison found that while swearing was likely to be a part of the “everyday work culture” of the tradie’s employer, Melbourne small business DMG Building & Electrical Services, the language and behaviour directed at him were “not appropriate or acceptable behaviour in any workplace”. She said the worker was “reasonably concerned for his mental and physical safety” and had no “real choice” but to resign. McCabes Lawyers principal Tim McDonald told Yahoo Finance the case raised issues for both employees and employers. RELATED Right to disconnect warning as worker sues former employer for $800,000 ...

A crackdown on childcare centres in South Australia found half were not meeting national quality standards, a parliamentary committee has heard. Giving evidence in the budget estimates committee on Monday, Education Minister Blair Boyer and his department heads said $7.11 million in additional funding had been given to the Education Standards Board over three years. The funding was the result of a recommendation from the Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care, and has allowed the board to more than double the number of compliance officers from 18 to 39 full time equivalents. Acting chief executive of the Education Standards Board, Sean Heffernan, told the committee that before the funding increase, some services had gone for up to a decade without being assessed. "There has been such a big gap between assessment and rating visits so where there has been a service that hasn't been assessed or rated potentially between eight or 10 ...