Tuesday, 31 March 2026

 Anasina GRAY-BARBERIO (Northern Metropolitan) (13:10): Pursuant to standing order 23.22, I table the select committee’s interim report on the inquiry into the early childhood education and care sector in Victoria, including an appendix. I move:

That the report be published.

Motion agreed to.

Anasina GRAY-BARBERIO: I move:

That the Council take note of the report.

I am pleased to present the interim report for the inquiry into the early childhood education and care sector in Victoria 2026. The select committee for this inquiry was established by this Parliament following serious child abuse allegations against educator Joshua Brown in July 2025. These deeply distressing allegations most profoundly affect our most vulnerable – Victorian children, babies and toddlers and their families – exposing critical systemic failures. The interim report gives an update of evidence the committee has received so far, including 99 submissions and five days of public hearings. It has been informed by the lived and living experiences of children, families, educators, advocates, regulators, service providers, unions, community organisations and First Nations and disability led representatives across the sector.

The committee has heard a range of emerging themes, including how the early childhood sector is undergoing a significant change, with surging demand and increasing complexity. However, regulation, oversight and investment have not always kept pace. The committee has heard of challenges and workforce shortages, sustained pressure on educators and insufficient resources, support and training to meet children’s increasing presentation of complex needs. The inquiry has also heard concerns about the rapid expansion of the for-profit sector and the risk that this growth presents in shifting paramount focus away from children’s safety and wellbeing, placing further strain on quality and oversight. During the course of the inquiry there were also several changes that occurred, and they have included the strengthening of the working children check; the new regulator, the Victorian Early Childhood Regulatory Authority; the national early childhood register; new offences and penalties; and a CCTV trial in certain areas. There is unequivocal evidence so far that stronger stewardship is needed at both the Victorian and national levels. Safety, quality and accountability must be guaranteed, not optional. The committee will continue its work, with the final hearing in May. The final report will be delivered with findings and recommendations by 30 July 2026.

I thank all those who have contributed so far, particularly those who have shared their experiences. Your voices are central to this work. As expected, there is high public interest in this inquiry. I would like to thank my committee colleagues deputy chair Mr Galea, my Greens colleague Dr Sarah Mansfield, Ms Crozier, Ms Bath and Ms Ermacora for their work so far to ensure that a range of views are heard on this sensitive and important issue. Finally, I would like to thank the committee secretariat staff: committee manager Matt Newington, inquiry officer Te Kooanga Awatere, administrative officer Sylvette Bassy and other staff in the committees office, including Julie Barnes and Monique Riordan-Hill. I commend this report to the house.

 Michael GALEA (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (13:13): I am also pleased to rise to share a brief contribution on this report and acknowledge our chair Ms Gray-Barbero and indeed all other committee members – I believe all of whom are in the chamber – for the work that we have undertaken so far. I would also like to particularly thank our secretariat: Matt Newington, Te Kooanga Awatere and their team, who have been a wonderful support to us.

This is, as Ms Gray-Barberio said, an important inquiry for us to be looking at. It did arise out of some shocking circumstances last year. At the time that this house was considering this inquiry the rapid review had already been initiated, and since the commencement of the inquiry that rapid review has reported and the government has indeed acquitted those actions. This inquiry presented a valuable opportunity for the house, through our committee, to examine in particular the rapid review and the government’s actions in response to it, as well as other factors and other settings in the early childhood education and care sector. We heard from witnesses overwhelming, if not unanimous, support for the government’s actions in acquitting those rapid review recommendations. We heard from multiple witnesses who acknowledged that Victoria, as of now, has the strongest settings and protections in place.

There were also various other topics canvassed and many topics that we will be able to, as a committee, explore as we conclude the final hearings and deliberate on the substantive final report, including the interplay with the Australian quality framework, Australian quality standards and various other aspects of how the system as a whole operates and can be most effectively supported and most effectively regulated in order to ensure that it is providing as much safety and security as parents rightly expect. I look forward to discussing the final report at a further date.

 Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (13:15): I also rise to make a few remarks in relation to the interim report of the inquiry into the early childhood education and care sector in Victoria. As other committee members have acknowledged, in the work that has been undertaken so far with the number of hearings and those witnesses that the committee has heard from, I think there has been some significant evidence that has been provided, indeed on the work that has been undertaken to ensure that the events that were disclosed last year never happen again in this state. I also want to acknowledge the work of the secretariat, of course, who have put in an enormous effort in bringing the hearings together and coordinating all of the witnesses.

But I do want to make some remarks regarding a number of the witnesses. We heard from the Ombudsman and the commissioner for children and young people very significant evidence that was provided to the committee around significant shortfalls in areas like funding, where the government has not provided enough support in these areas to deal with many of the issues. But I also acknowledge where there has been significant work, and that has been done by a number of organisations that have provided extensive evidence to us around the work that they have been doing since this horrific incident came to light and before that. I think it has been unfortunate that some witnesses and others have questioned and almost demonised the role that they play in this very important sector around choice, around an ability to cater for children across Victoria and to be able to support them in these very important early education years. So I would say to those witnesses, again, thank you very much for coming before the committee. We will continue our work, look at the failings that have occurred and ensure that we make recommendations to further strengthen the system.

 Jacinta ERMACORA (Western Victoria) (13:17): I also want to make a contribution on this interim report and thank the secretariat for the work so far but also acknowledge the horrific circumstances in the particular case that brought this inquiry into being and acknowledge that part of the contributions that we have heard so far have been significantly around definitions of grooming, definitions of what safety means and what multiple peak bodies have said about the strengths and weaknesses in this space. This interim report forms a really good baseline to the next steps in our inquiry. In particular it paints a picture of the reforms that have been undertaken since the incident came to light, in a number of different spheres, but also we are looking very carefully at the regulatory environment that childcare service delivery sits within in this state. I look forward to the next phase of the inquiry, and I thank everybody that has been involved, particularly those that have submitted evidence and spent time with the committee in the public hearings to date.

 Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (13:19): I rise to make a brief contribution on the tabling of the interim report of the inquiry into the early childhood education and care sector in Victoria. Just following on from my colleagues in this select inquiry, it is a very, very important inquiry. Of course, it did begin from that shocking and deplorable situation where children were allegedly – and there is a court case at hand – terribly manipulated by somebody who should have been a trusted figure. It is very interesting, some of the discussion in relation to the point around compliance in the early childhood sector: it does not necessarily mean child safety. Compliance is one thing, but making sure that child safety in every corner of every centre is fulfilled and achieving that aim is far more than just compliance. Also we spoke to and heard from many in the childcare sector who had been in that sector for a very long time, and I want to put on record my thanks to all the staff who have dedicated their lives to children. I also want to say I do not think there needs to be this divide of ‘We must have profit’ or ‘We must exclude profit’ in the sector. We need all: we need a matrix of profit, not-for-profit, community and council-led, and we should not be demonising one over the others. In many parts of rural Victoria there are childcare deserts, very much so, and we need to fulfil those to support our regional families to access great child care. We really look forward to continuing on this work, and I thank the secretariat for their diligent efforts. I think the final report will be most illuminating.

Motion agreed to.