The Australian Government has launched a register of child care agencies that have been subject to enforcement action, as it cracks down on shoddy providers.
Minister for Education Simon Birmingham said the publication of the Child Care Enforcement Action Register, launched on January 6, would mean providers who rort the system have nowhere to hide.
“This register should serve as a warning to providers that if you’re non-compliant and do the wrong thing you will be hung out to dry,” Mr Birmingham said.
The majority of providers were legitimate, he said, but those who were not should be held to account.
“Parents should be able to access the information necessary to make informed choices when deciding on a child care service and have confidence that they are entrusting the care of their children to a compliant and reputable provider.
“This is about making sure the track record of child care providers is crystal clear to families.”
The register shows compliance action by the Department of Education and Training in 2016-17 led to 141 sanctions and immediate cancellations with the majority imposed on Family Day Care services.
Mr Birmingham said the introduction of the register was one of a suite of compliance measures the Government had introduced to target providers who seek to deliberately rort the system or fail to provide the high standard of care expected.
The new Compliance Action Register will be updated on a quarterly basis and is available online.
