Early childhood education experts release six-point plan for government to restore public trust

ABC NEWS (Australia)

A group of 55 early childhood experts has released six actions governments can take to restore public trust in the childcare system. Revelations from a year-long ABC investigation sparked a series of inquiries and government reforms, but the experts warn the measures need to go a lot further to fix structural issues. Investigative reporter Adele Ferguson is following developments.

Transcript

00:00So they are professors and associate professors who specialise in early childhood education.

00:09So they really know this sector like the back of their hand.

00:11And what do they say is needed?

00:13They say that there needs to be more structural reforms than what we've already seen.

00:17They welcome the current reforms of the state and federal governments, but they say what

00:22we need is a six point plan, which includes really getting to the heart of some of the

00:27problems including the conditions and quality of workers and the pay.

00:34Having a look at curbing some of the bad for profits and not giving them more money and

00:40spending more money on the non-profit early learning centres, as well as building an early

00:46childhood commission that oversees the entire sector.

00:50And do you think that these measures that they've outlined are required, do they go beyond what

00:55state and federal governments are already proposing?

00:59They go well beyond that.

01:01What the state and federal governments are doing is they're very reactive measures, they're

01:06very much needed, but we need to look at more, what the experts say to me is we need to look

01:12at more structural reforms that will have a profound impact on the quality and safety of

01:18children in childcare.

01:20What's the state of public trust in the childcare system right now?

01:24Yeah, it's not good.

01:26It really is not good because all year we've seen some terrible things come out about what's

01:31going on.

01:321.5 million children go to childcare every day.

01:35Parents hope and expect that they will be looked after and what we found is anything but in some

01:42of these centres.

01:43So trust is broken from parents and many of them have no option, they need to go to work.

01:50And $16 billion of taxpayers' money goes into funding childcare subsidies.

01:56So they say we need more.

01:59Change is going to take time though, isn't it?

02:01As someone who knows the sector inside and out, are you optimistic that things will turn

02:06around?

02:07I think there has been a change this year.

02:10Governments are coming together.

02:11Realising that parents are up in arms, that experts are up in arms saying we need to do

02:18more.

02:19So there is an appetite for change.

02:20Going up.

02:21That's it here.

02:22So there are these women and girls, people need to know you.

02:26You have to put them down and you're thinking of yourself.

02:30Definitely.

02:30Do you need to move forward?

02:31That's a good way.

02:32Yeah, definitely.

02:33That's whatates do.

02:35Let's go.

02:36Okay.

02:37Go on and switch.

02:38Go on and switch my phone.

02:39So here we go.

02:41Go on!

02:42You can go.

02:43Again?

02:44Go on.

02:45What is it?

02:45Go on and switch your phone.

02:47Go on.

02:48Come on.

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