Independent Kurrajong MLA Thomas Emerson is hopeful all of his suggested reforms for the childcare sector will be found to be valid. Photo: Supplied.
An independent MLA hasn’t been successful in compelling the Legislative Assembly to implement all 13 reforms which he believes will “turn around” the early childhood education and care system – but they will at least be evaluated.
Thomas Emerson moved a motion calling on the ACT Government to enforce a range of measures he developed off the back of community consultation, surveys and the publication of thousands of documents relating to the sector.
The measures included establishing an online portal for verifying Working with Vulnerable People card numbers, start fining early childhood and education providers for “egregious and repeated” child safety breaches, establishing a public register of compliance enforcement actions, end service approval transfers and introducing mandatory National Quality Standard reassessments within six months of a centre facing regulatory enforcement action.
“The fact is we have a system that’s not currently set up to support and incentivise best practice when it comes to the education and care of children,” Mr Emerson said.
“We have an opportunity to turn that around.”
His ideas were supported by the ACT Greens, but the party amended the motion to instead explore his 13 suggested reforms rather than implement them.
Young People spokesperson Laura Nuttall said moving ahead without proper policy and stakeholder examination could lead the Assembly down a “fraught path” where some reforms, however well intentioned, could have unexpected consequences.
“I have simply not had enough time to evaluate these proposals and come to a conclusion about what’s best for my youngest constituents,” she said.
Ms Nuttall pointed out some of the reforms had already been implemented at a national level, while others were under consideration.
She felt everyone wanted to do the right thing, but that everyone needed more time.
“[We need to] consult with parents, educators, kids and other experts in the community to understand the full implications of the actions before us,” Ms Nuttall said.
“[Amending the motion] is still asking the government to implement these reforms – if they are the right thing to do.”
The Canberra Liberals were mostly supportive of this move, but wanted two changes made to the suggested reforms to be examined.
Shadow Education Minister Elizabeth Lee wanted two options to be removed – an examination of capping centres’ surplus revenue “to ensure sufficient investment back into service quality and the workforce” and a look into whether planning restrictions should be brought in to “protect small locally-run providers from being cannabilised by large conglomerates”.
She argued the land use reforms “risks pitting the not-for-profit sector against other providers” and that surplus revenue caps “sets a dangerous precedent” that she couldn’t support.
Ms Lee’s suggested changes were rejected by the rest of the Assembly.
Early Childhood Minister Yvette Berry said more work was needed to strengthen the sector but some of Mr Emerson’s ideas would have “unintended consequences” if they were implemented as they were presented in his motion.
“I don’t argue with their intention … [but] the breadth of the reforms must be balanced by the need to implement change in a sequential and supported way,” she said.
Ultimately, all of Mr Emerson’s suggested reforms will be examined by the government.
He acknowledged this was a step forward but expressed his disappointment that at least some of his proposed changes couldn’t be implemented while others were investigated more closely.
“It’s disappointing that there wasn’t unanimous support to implement all 13 reforms in full over the next 12 months,” Mr Emerson said.
“However, I’m confident that further evaluation of, and consultation on, these reforms will only confirm the need for their implementation.”
As the ACT Government prepares for the consultation, he urged them to make sure they engaged with individual families and centres, rather than just speaking with representative bodies.
“Sometimes we get stuck up above the weeds, speaking at a policy level,” Mr Emerson said.
And on accusations that elements of his motion was preying on parents’ fears: “I don’t think ignoring their fears is a strategy either … and that seems to have been the strategy to date.
“We can’t just put our head in the sand and pretend that there aren’t issues.”
