Thursday, 28 August 2025

Ministers statements: early childhood education and care

Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Children, Minister for Disability) (12:43): I rise to update the house on how the Allan Labor government is responding to the rapid review into child safety by beefing up the social services regulator. Last week the Premier, alongside the Attorney-General and I, outlined how we will be enacting every single one of the review’s 22 recommendations, including by bringing the working with children check, the reportable conduct scheme and child safe standards into the social services regulator. For too long too many –

Members interjecting.

Michael Galea: On a point of order, President, the minister is talking about a very serious topic, and we cannot hear it for the constant heckling from those opposite.

The PRESIDENT: I apologise. I was distracted checking something with the boffins. I will ask one of the boffins to reset the clock, and then I will ask everyone on all sides of the chamber to afford the minister silence while she does her ministers statement.

Lizzie BLANDTHORN: I rise to update the house on how the Allan Labor government is responding to the rapid review into child safety by beefing up the social services regulator. Last week the Premier, alongside the Attorney-General and I, outlined how we will be enacting every single one of the review’s 22 recommendations, including by bringing the working with children check, the reportable conduct scheme and child safe standards into the social services regulator. For too long too many pieces of information have sat in different systems in separate entities. By giving the social services regulator new powers, we will be able to remove these silos and weed out predators. Moving these schemes into the social services regulator will also help us to build a better understanding as to how to ensure that we eliminate risk due to disability, neglect, family violence and other forms of abuse.

The beefed-up social services regulator will have powers to consider unsubstantiated allegations and intelligence and will be able to proactively share this information with other regulators. In addition, a complaints function will be established to ensure the regulator is a one-stop shop, making it easier for people, children and families receiving social services, including in disability settings and in out-of-home care, to make a complaint.

I want to take the opportunity to commend those opposite, who in a press release last week stated:

We will provide constructive support to any measures that improve our childcare system in response to the Rapid Child Safety Review.

With the support of the chamber we will be able to bring together regulatory bodies that hold breadcrumbs of information into the social services regulator. I look forward to the introduction and speedy passage of these reforms later this year, and I thank all of the people in this chamber for backing this reform. My focus is always on the safety of children, and with the support of this chamber I will continue to enhance our safeguarding system.