Paper explores childcare sector changes
15 January 2026 Read the paper
While urgent legislative reform to the early childhood education and care sector was undertaken late last year, warning signs have been apparent for almost a decade, according to experts in the sector.
A new paper from the Parliamentary Library, titled 'A Moment of Reckoning', provides a summary of the events, discussions and legislation surrounding reforms to the Victorian early childhood and care (ECEC) sector passed by Parliament.
A rapid review of Victoria's child safety laws was undertaken by the Victorian Government in the wake of more than 200 charges being laid against two men relating to abuse against children in Melbourne’s west. The review focused particularly on worker screening and information-sharing provisions.
The paper outlines the four Victorian Acts introduced as a result of the review that were passed through Parliament from August to December 2025. The legislation included one urgent Bill to amend worker screening vulnerabilities, with the latter Bills focusing on more substantive reforms to the sector at large.
The paper also delves into the key issues and complexities of developing legislation within the ECEC sector, including the allocation of responsibilities between state and federal governments and issues with the Working with Children Check (WWCC) system.
As well as summarising the new legislation, the paper explores previous reports that have pointed to failings within the ECEC sector, including on Victoria’s child safety scheme and WWCC system.
In addition to the rapid review, this includes both the final report of the 2017 Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and a special 2015 report by the Royal Commission into the WWCC system, as well as a 2022 Victorian Ombudsman’s report which scrutinised aspects of Victoria’s WWCC system.
The paper also outlines key stakeholders’ response to the legislation, including major and minor political parties, child safety advocates and the childcare sector. Most supported the legislation, but many, including the Greens and the National Children’s Commissioner, noted that reform had been long needed.
A Legislative Council Select Committee is currently undertaking public hearings for its inquiry into the early childhood education and care sector in Victoria. You can follow along with its work by visiting the committee’s website.
For more details download the full paper here.