Overview
- Tim Hickey told the hearing he could not say whether his safety‑linked bonus was reduced, noting a $625,000 base salary with up to 50% available in annual incentives tied to safety KPIs.
- MPs cited records showing more than 1,700 regulatory breaches at Affinity centres since 2021 and a per‑centre breach rate rising from about 30% above the NSW average to roughly 70% higher after the Quadrant takeover.
- Hickey defended the operator’s record, saying 90% of centres meet health and safety standards, outlining heavy investment in compliance across 250 sites, and apologising for harm to children.
- The government has moved to strengthen oversight, including powers to require centres to display current investigations, a 900% increase to maximum fines for large providers, and mandated security cameras.
- The inquiry is also taking evidence from G8 Education, Little Zak’s Academy and Busy Bees, as lawmakers probe whether occupancy and bonus structures discourage reporting of incidents such as documented abuse cases.