Child safety is our first priority!

ACA NSW stands with the following statement from the Australian Childcare Alliance:

The Australian Childcare Alliance is deeply saddened and angered by further allegations of child abuse in early learning environments and shares our sympathies with those children and families who have been directly impacted.

These acts have a significant impact on children and families and undermine trust in the sector. The early learning sector has no room for individuals who do not prioritise the health, well-being, and safety of children.

Governments have implemented significant reforms aimed at improving child safety outcomes, which we believe build the frameworks needed to protect children, and these reforms have been implemented at a rapid pace.

The National Early Childhood Worker Register is one of the most important tools that will support the identification of an employee's work history from February 2026, which is extremely helpful for law enforcement and regulators.

We now need the register to continue its ongoing development to become a system that verifies employment history and provides live Working with Children Check information, relevant investigation and reportable conduct outcomes, and effective information sharing across jurisdictions and for that information to be available to employers when considering an applicant's suitability to provide education and care for children.

Families and the sector deserve a register that prevents unsuitable people from moving between employers or states and working with children.

Children deserve the best start in life.

Our sector has no place for anyone who fails that responsibility of protecting our children. Families trust us with their children. That trust has to be earned every day.

Hence why ACA and all ACA states called for and continues to support the development of a truly effective National Early Childhood Worker Register — one that shares WWCC status, investigation outcomes and employment history across all jurisdictions, so unsuitable individuals cannot simply move on to the next employer or jump across borders.

Moreover, ACA NSW also called for greater whistleblower protections, especially in relation to industrial consequences.

Members who may need assistance with media, public relations and/or other can contact:

• Guild Insurance (as public relations and reputation protection are core benefits in your Professional Indemnity policies); or
  

• our trusted people at M&C Partners.

For any further information/clarification, please contact the ACA NSW team via 1300 556 330 or nsw@childcarealliance.org.au.

PUBLISHED: 15 JULY 2026