ACA Response to Recent ABC Four Corners Report

Following the airing of the ABC's Four Corners program on Monday night, the Australian Childcare Alliance (ACA) wishes to express our deep concern regarding the issues raised. We are committed to prioritising the safety and well-being of all children, and we acknowledge the urgent need for comprehensive action to address these serious matters.

We appreciate that the subject matter of the report, and the conversations it may spark, may be distressing to educators and parents, along with all Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) stakeholders as we come to terms with this information.

Our sector is united in the fundamental belief that every child has the right to be safe, nurtured and protected, and it is our collective obligation to create a system that does not allow predators to harm children.

The issues reported are unacceptable and reiterate the urgent need for a stronger, nationally coordinated child-safety framework across all jurisdictions.

However it's also very important to note that the overwhelming majority of early learning professionals share this commitment every single day. 

Early childhood education and care providers are operating within one of the most challenging and heavily monitored areas of the Australian education system. In the aftermath of the most recent findings, it is essential to highlight that most services function with compassion, openness, and a strong dedication to ensuring children’s safety and wellbeing.

There is already an enormous amount of work being undertaken to strengthen the ECEC system by our Federal and State Governments. 

This includes mandatory child safety training tailored for the specific roles people hold, the development of the National Educator Register and more funding for the regulators across the country to increase unannounced compliance visits at least once every twelve months and quality assessments at least once every three years. 

The Australian Childcare Alliance (ACA) has already welcomed these increased measures and resources, and we stand ready to work with governments, regulators and child-safety experts to close the gaps in child safety and to create a system where every child receives the very best start in life - one where no child or family is ever at risk.

We note that the story characterised the sector in over-simplistic ways by segregating the different parts of the sector by their ownership type. 

The ACA does not believe this is a fair characterisation and note that some of the written follow up articles state the following: 
“…..this is not to say all for-profit centres are bad and all non-profit centres are good."

Additionally the program promoted our sector as highly casualised. However, the data on our sector's workforce from the 2024 National Early Education and Care Workforce Census suggests that most staff are employed on a permanent full-time or permanent part-time basis in centre-based daycare, and casualisation is more pronounced in Outside School Hours Care.

This is a necessary correction, as overstating casualisation, less than 15% in centre-based daycare, risks undermining public trust and misdirecting policy. What matters most is the safety culture, the quality of training, and the support provided to staff in all roles. 

The ACA stands ready to work with governments, regulators and child-safety experts to close the gaps in child safety and to create a system where every child receives the very best start in life - one in which no child or family are ever at risk of harm.

Additionally, we will continue to advocate for a fair and balanced understanding of the sector, emphasising the importance of quality, safety, and professionalism across all types of early childhood education providers.

For media enquiries, please contact Tammy Wayne-Elliot, Fifty Acres at tammy@fiftyacres.com or Mobile:  0414 428 440