00:00There's three centres, and they're all very different.
00:04It shows the diversity and the complexity, really, and the challenge for regulators in
00:09getting to grips with the safety crisis in childcare.
00:11The common thread between all of them is that the regulator here in New South Wales believes
00:15they pose an unacceptable risk to child safety.
00:18The first is a preschool attached to an elite French school called Le C. Condorcet in Sydney's
00:24eastern suburbs, where fees can be as high as $40,000 a year.
00:28It runs a service for kids between three and five.
00:32It's been running for about 12 years and has never met the national quality standards in
00:37all of that time.
00:38The regulator says there's been 42 breaches of the national law and that it was unimpressed
00:44with the response to a show cause notice, so that centre will be shut down in a month.
00:49The principal of that school pushed back on that decision to me, effectively saying it
00:52was unfair, that there was no threat to physical safety for the children that attend that service,
00:58and that it was all down to administrative compliance.
01:01The next centre has far more serious problems, Greater Western Family Daycare.
01:07We've previously seen in leaked documents that there were poison and knives within reach
01:12of children, as well as toxic cleaning chemicals.
01:15That centre has also had its registration cancelled.
01:19There's about 200 children that attend that service, and their parents have about a month
01:24now to find alternative care.
01:26Family daycare is a bit of an unusual model in the sector.
01:30It accounts for about 5% of all daycare places, and it's basically run out of family homes
01:36with a registered educator, so the quality can vary enormously.
01:41And the final centre to be shut down is a more traditional long daycare called Fairy Tales
01:47Preschool and Long Day Centre in Sydney's north-west.
01:50It only had about 12 students attending.
01:54It has similarly had problems in the past with meeting national quality standards.
01:59We understand from the regulator that there's pretty serious concerns there too around the
02:02way children are monitored when they're sleeping, concerns about reporting of child protection
02:08responsibilities, among quite a few other issues.
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