- Crisafulli Government endorses a national reform package to keep children safe in early childhood.
- Crisafulli Government spearheaded the push to establish a national register to track childcare workers across the sector.
- Other outcomes of today's education ministers' meeting include a trial of CCTV cameras in childcare and mandatory child safety training.
- The Crisafulli Government is delivering the nation's strongest child protection framework with a landmark Queensland Commission of Inquiry, a Reportable Conduct Scheme and a Blue Card Review.
The Crisafulli Government has endorsed a comprehensive range of child safety reforms and reaffirmed its commitment to children's rights, improving safety, quality, and workforce capacity in the early childhood education and care sector nationally.
Speaking at the meeting of State and Territory Education Ministers, Minister for Education John-Paul Langbroek said the reforms were a result of extensive public consultation and will address critical areas of child safety, including digital device use, staff conduct, and mandatory child safety training.
Additional support for these reforms from the Crisafulli Government include:
A new announcement today of a $3.7 million boost to continue to deliver protective behaviours education, empowering children and families to stay safe in Queensland.
$12.7m over four years for an additional 29 full-time early childhood regulatory officers to focus on compliance and enforcement activities.
$20m for Queensland's early childhood workforce strategy to address challenges particularly in attracting, developing and retaining a highly skilled workforce.
Partnering with the Australian Centre for Child Protection to develop the nation's first formal child safety training package for all early childhood staff on behalf of all states and territories.
The Crisafulli Government is delivering the strongest child protection framework in the nation with a historic Queensland Commission of Inquiry, a Blue Card Review, and fast-tracking a Reportable Conduct Scheme to commence in July 2026.
Minister Langbroek said the vast majority of early childhood educators are doing the right thing, but more must be done to strengthen protections for children.
"Queensland welcomes the additional agreed national actions to further strengthen child safety and quality including a CCTV assessment and National Early Childhood Educator register," Minister Langbroek said.
"Queensland has proudly spearheaded the push for a National Register and these reforms reflect our commitment to making Queensland a leader in child safety across all early childhood settings.
"Queensland proudly leads the Child Safety Review project nationally, in partnership with the Australian Government.
"Our Government has invested in a range of initiatives to help ensure the State's youngest learners are protected in safe, nurturing environments which align with all regulatory changes."
The Crisafulli Government today announced an additional investment of $3.7 million to expand protective behaviours training and support for Queensland services until 2027.
Minister Langbroek said the Crisafulli Government was expanding funding for services to access vital education and intensive support, ensuring educators are well-equipped to prioritise child safety and wellbeing, in partnership with the National Association for Prevention of Child abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) and Autism Queensland.
"These free programs provide vital tools, strategies and information to help children recognise risks and protect themselves in a supportive and inclusive way," Minister Langbroek said.
"The Australian Centre for Child Protection is on track to design and deliver cutting-edge national child safety training programs for early childhood professionals by early next year.
"We're also working closely with the early childhood sector to secure voluntary compliance and build stronger, more collaborative relationships with stakeholders.
"By engaging with peak bodies, we aim to align efforts and drive meaningful change across the sector, ensuring child safety remains a shared priority.
"Stakeholders will be invited once again to a Child Safety Roundtable, where we will continue important discussions about the future of child safety reforms and plan for changes.
"This collaborative approach will ensure that child safety remains a priority in Queensland and across the country.
"Our commitment is reflected in The Review of System Responses to Child Sexual Abuse that is currently underway, we welcome hearing from the review in the coming months.
"The Crisafulli Government has brought forward the implementation of the reportable conduct scheme in the early childhood sector from 2027 to 2026, fast-tracking new requirements for early childhood services to investigate and report suspicious conduct to deliver stronger protections for Queensland children.
"This is the fresh start Queenslanders voted for after a decade of neglect from the former Labor Government.
"These reforms reaffirm our commitment to creating safer environments for children in partnership with the early childhood sector."
