Wednesday, 13 August 2025

Early childhood education and care

Jess WILSON (Kew) (14:09): My question is to the Minister for Government Services. An investigation by Goodstart Early Learning found that a worker kissed at least two toddlers on their cheeks, brushed his face against their necks and attempted to groom children at the centre. The man was issued an interim negative notice by the working with children check unit. Why did the government remove the notice, allowing this man to continue to work with children?

Natalie HUTCHINS (Sydenham – Minister for Government Services, Minister for Treaty and First Peoples, Minister for Prevention of Family Violence, Minister for Women) (14:10): I thank the member for her question, and of course, as the Premier said, we will always act to protect children from sexual and physical harm. To my knowledge there has not been any removal of notices. In fact regulations have only just changed because of the swift action taken by the Premier on 29 July to ensure that other regulators are now reporting in to the worker-screening unit around those workers that are unfit to hold a working with children check. We will continue to improve the system, and we look forward to receiving the recommendations from the review.

Jess WILSON (Kew) (14:11): The childcare centre was never notified of the outcome of the man’s working with children check review. Why not?

Natalie HUTCHINS (Sydenham – Minister for Government Services, Minister for Treaty and First Peoples, Minister for Prevention of Family Violence, Minister for Women) (14:11): There is a screening process where employers can go online and review whether their workforce does have a working with children check or not. So there is an application process there that they can review, but up until the regulations –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Laverton, leave the chamber for half an hour.

Member for Laverton withdrew from chamber.

Brad Battin: On a point of order, Speaker, in relation to relevance, the minister clearly said then that the agencies can go and check online to see if the person has a working with children review. Is it the government’s position that the childcare centres have to go and check it rather than you notify them of someone who is causing issues in the child care?

The SPEAKER: That is not a point of order.

Natalie HUTCHINS: Up until the regulations changed just a couple of weeks ago, in addition to criminal history, the worker-screening unit could act on findings from the commissioner for children and young people, the suitability panel and the Victorian Institute of Teaching. This has now been expanded to include the Department of Education and equivalent regulators for early –

Jess Wilson: On a point of order, Speaker, this was a very narrow question about why the childcare centre was not notified of the outcome of the review. I ask you to bring the minister back to the question.

The SPEAKER: The minister was being relevant to the question that was asked. I do remind the minister that it was a very narrow question.

Natalie HUTCHINS: Those regulations have delivered a whole range of new inputs into how we are now administering the working with children check, but we realise that there is more change that needs to come. That is why there is a review underway.

Jess Wilson: Speaker, on a further point of order, the case we are talking about was in 2020, not about regulations that were made last month. I take the minister back to relevance about the question: why the childcare centre was not notified.

The SPEAKER: I ask you not to repeat the question. The minister was being relevant. The minister has concluded her answer.