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Education Ministers to Weigh $189 Million Childcare Safety Package and National Worker Register

The push centers on a national register backed by up to $189 million to stop unsafe workers moving between states.

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Overview

  • State and federal ministers meet in Sydney on Friday to decide on a suite of child‑safety measures, with the Commonwealth set to table funding of up to $189 million over four years.
  • A national educator register to record work histories and reportable conduct is a top priority, with NSW and Queensland urging rapid implementation.
  • Ministers will seek nationally consistent personal mobile phone bans in centres, as South Australia and Victoria enforce bans, Western Australia prepares to follow, and Queensland signals caution.
  • Camera use will be tested through a national CCTV assessment, with Victoria prepared to run its own trial if needed and NSW already committing to a trial.
  • Enforcement has been tightened through July reforms enabling unannounced checks and subsidy suspensions, with compliance action underway against 30 centres and cross‑jurisdictional working‑with‑children bans agreed by attorneys‑general.