Early childhood education and care
Anasina GRAY-BARBERIO (Northern Metropolitan) (12:09): (1023) My question is for the Minister for Children. Minister, the rapid child safety review highlighted that Victoria’s regulator has just 195 staff compared to 448 in New South Wales – less than half the capacity. Recommendation 13 calls for the regulator to be ‘appropriately funded to deliver its functions’. Your government accepted the need for an immediate and substantial increase in authorised officers and enforcement staff, but the Labor government’s response to the rapid review did not specify the amount of new state funding for the regulator. Without major investment, more unannounced visits and stronger enforcement powers will not be deliverable. Minister, what is the amount your government has specifically allocated to fund this workforce expansion?
Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Children, Minister for Disability) (12:10): I thank Ms Gray-Barberio for her question and for an opportunity to talk about the things that we are doing in response to the rapid review that was handed down by Mr Weatherill and Ms White just last week. The Premier, the Attorney-General and I indeed responded in relation to that, specifically in relation to regulations and the establishment of regulators. As I had said in this place and in the media over recent weeks, the setting up of an independent regulator is something that I had actually already asked advice on from the department. When I received the recommendations that we should establish an independent early childhood regulator as well as a beefed-up social services regulator, I was most pleased to see that in the report, because I do think that we do need to do more, as we said at the outset, in relation to how we provide for the regulation of this very fast evolving sector.
If we look at the early education and care sector in Victoria, it has more than doubled, by about 60, 70 per cent in the last 10 years, and of that, 94 per cent of long day care services are for profit. If we look at the way in which this system has evolved, it is one with which regulation has not kept pace, so it is very pleasing to receive these recommendations. The establishment of an early education and care regulator that specifically brings the workforce in early education, the regulation and the application of the national law all into an independent regulator is important. Equally important is bringing together those other elements within the social services regulator that also work with children, whether it will ultimately be the working with children check, whether it will be the reportable conduct scheme or the child safe standards. In particular, I am excited that it will also be brought together with the disability workforce and the out-of-home care workforce, because we know that we want children to be safe wherever they are, whether they are learning, playing, being cared for or in our early education systems.
The Premier and I last week announced an initial contribution, or initial funding if you like, of $42 million for setting up these new functions and for the immediate steps that we need to take to bring those recommendations into effect. But we also made it very, very clear that this is an initial investment. As we do that legislative work to establish the independent education regulator, to bring about the rest of the registration work and work that in with the Commonwealth, and to beef up the social services regulator over the coming weeks as we formulate that and develop a legislative proposal to bring to the Parliament, we will be very cognisant of the fact that will require additional investment. That $42 million is an initial investment, and we certainly look forward to making sure, as per the recommendations suggested, that they be adequately funded.
Anasina GRAY-BARBERIO (Northern Metropolitan) (12:13): I actually failed to hear what dollar figure is going to be allocated for the resourcing of the independent regulator specifically around authorised officers and enforcement staff to be able to ensure delivery but also safety of children. If I can ask you again: from that $42 million that your government has initially planned to invest in these measures, what amount is going to be allocated to the independent child safe regulator?
Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Children, Minister for Disability) (12:14): I thank Ms Gray-Barberio for her supplementary question. As I indicated, this is an initial investment of $42 million to do the work, including the legislative development and the policy work to bring these proposals to the Parliament in order to be able to then have a regulator with which we can allocate the appropriate levels of funding. We have made it very clear that that $42 million is an initial investment. We will do the policy development and the legislative work and will bring the proposals to the Parliament. They may indeed change by the nature of this democratic place. We will then allocate the resources that are necessary to deliver on an independent regulator, which will be nation leading and will include those 12-monthly compliance visits, plus the additional things that we agreed to as part of our conversations at the education ministers meeting last Friday that go to things like ensuring three-year average assessments and a range of other matters. We will also ensure that there is appropriate funding for the social services regulator to bring all of that regulation together.