00:00We have to remember there was multiple institutional settings and a huge volume of work and recommendations
00:08that was set out by the Royal Commission, and I think we've made lots of change, particularly
00:13in areas like the out-of-home care sector, but we simply haven't done enough in this
00:18early childhood or childcare sector, and so we need to really look at the changes that
00:24we have made elsewhere and how we can implement them.
00:26I think there's still a long way to go when we need more responses for victims and survivors
00:32of child sexual abuse, but the childcare sector, we just simply haven't gone further enough
00:38in this space, but we've made huge strides elsewhere.
00:41One of the recommendations, specifically in the Royal Commission's final report, and this
00:45is a quote, to design and manage environments to minimise the risk of child abuse.
00:51So when you say there's a long way to go, tell us more, what needs to be done now to make
00:56an early childhood environment safe?
01:00I think there's a couple of bits, really.
01:03The first one is the physical environment, so we need to make sure that spaces are open.
01:10There's lots of free flow-through.
01:12So if you're walking through a childcare centre, could you have complete line of sight into all
01:18the areas, so lots of windows, lots of open spaces, no closed or hidden doors, or we really
01:27need to design those baby changing areas and toileting spaces really carefully.
01:33I think that's the physical environment, but then we have the governance and the quality
01:39kind of assurance environment that goes along with that.
01:43And we don't have enough of a child safety lens within our national quality framework.
01:50We don't have enough auditing and enough reviews.
01:53It's all very well having standards, but unless we're monitoring those, unless we're holding
01:58all early childhood settings accountable to actually implement those standards, then we're
02:03not going far enough.
02:04And lastly, I think one of the main ones as well is we simply don't have enough support
02:10and education for our early childhood staff working in the centres, so they're not really
02:16clear on what to look out for in terms of the signs of child sexual abuse, all those
02:20little micro signs of a person who is intent on harming children, what that might look like,
02:27and then what to do with it and the confidence to actually report it.
02:30So there's multiple pieces I think we need to really look at.
02:33Just on the idea of open planned spaces and, as you say, identifying those red flags,
02:40do you think we should go down the path of CCTV, for example, to ensure that we can see every
02:46corner of the early childhood setting?
02:49Yeah, look, we're not opposed to CCTV mechanisms.
02:54I think what we have to be very careful of, though, is, again, what are we doing with those videos?
02:59What's the purpose of them?
03:01Are they being reviewed?
03:02I think CCTV can act as a deterrent.
03:06And maybe if a person who was intent on harming children had a choice of working at two daycares,
03:12one with a CCTV capacity and the other without, then it's going to make more sense for them to work at the one that doesn't have the CCTV.
03:20So I think it's fine, but I think there needs to be regulations and safety nets around that,
03:25particularly with our increasing use of AI and digital tech within Australia.
03:31So, let's open these tools together.
03:34So, let's see.
03:36So, let's see.
03:39We've got our ability to get more disseiences on the line.
03:43So, we got our music.
03:48So, let's push this out.
03:50We've got the help of data.
03:51By the way, we've got our kids involved.
03:52We're going to help to pull this up kind of easy trial.
03:53So, let's see.
03:55Let's see.
03:57Have a good helpful time.
03:58So, let's take it.
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