✍️ Demand urgent childcare reform!
The childcare sector is in crisis.
Paedophiles have infiltrated centres due to weak screening. Safety breaches go unpunished. Families pay sky-high fees, and educators are underpaid and overworked.
This is the result of a system where the top priority isn't care of children, but profit Right now, nearly 85% of childcare in Australia is run for profit. Some of the biggest actors in childcare in Australia are owned by massive private equity funds whose only interest is cutting costs and maximising their return on investment.
The Albanese Government has introduced urgent legislation to lift safety standards and give regulators more power — but unless we tackle the underlying profit-first model, these issues will keep coming back.
💥 We need a safe, affordable, high-quality childcare system — run in the public interest, not for private gain.
Paedophiles have infiltrated centres due to weak screening. Safety breaches go unpunished. Families pay sky-high fees, and educators are underpaid and overworked.
This is the result of a system where the top priority isn't care of children, but profit Right now, nearly 85% of childcare in Australia is run for profit. Some of the biggest actors in childcare in Australia are owned by massive private equity funds whose only interest is cutting costs and maximising their return on investment.
The Albanese Government has introduced urgent legislation to lift safety standards and give regulators more power — but unless we tackle the underlying profit-first model, these issues will keep coming back.
💥 We need a safe, affordable, high-quality childcare system — run in the public interest, not for private gain.
Add your name to demand:
- Urgently raise safety and quality standards across the sector.Empower regulators to conduct unannounced inspections. Establish a national workforce registry. Enforce a universal Working With Children Check. Raise wages, staffing levels and training standards across the sector. And cut off subsidies to any provider that fails to meet national safety and quality benchmarks.
- Cut fees for families and stop public money flowing to profit.No family should be priced out of care while CEOs pocket subsidies. We need to cap out-of-pocket costs so no family pays more than they can afford.
- Properly fund a public and community-led early childhood system.Phase out the role of private, for-profit actors in childcare. Fund a system of public and community-led early learning centres where the focus is on kids – not corporate profits.
- Private centres are less than half as likely to exceed national quality standards as their not-for-profit counterparts—just 13% compared to 28%. And a striking 21% of for-profit centres fail to meet standards altogether, with many being described as "working towards" the National Quality Standards.1
- Educators in for-profit centres report chronic understaffing—with 77% working below minimum ratios weekly, and 42% daily.2
- Serious safety incidents are skyrocketing. Over 26,000 incidents were reported in 2024, a 27% increase in just three years. Disturbingly, pedophiles have been able to infiltrate the system due to the lack of controls.3
- Nearly 10% of centres have never undergone a quality assessment—yet remain open, enrolling children every day.4
- The Albanese Government is introducing legislation to cut funding from childcare centres that breach safety or quality standards, shifting to direct enforcement over passive oversight.5
- Regulators will gain new powers to conduct unannounced inspections, though full implementation is still in development.
- A national educator registry is being created to prevent staff with abuse histories from moving undetected between centres.
- A universal Working With Children Check and mandatory safety training for all staff are being proposed to close major loopholes.
- Wage increases and free TAFE training pathways are part of the plan to address the ongoing staffing crisis.
- The government is also working with states to harmonise safety standards, educator registration, and digital device policies.
While rapid action is important, these reforms stop short of confronting the root cause: a profit-driven model where failures are systemic.
Every child deserves to grow up safe, cared for and supported to thrive. That means childcare that's high-quality, affordable, and run in the public interest.
We want a system where educators are properly paid, well trained, and supported to stay in the profession. Where they have the time and resources to build strong relationships and give children the care they need.
Where families don't have to pay thousands just to secure a place, and where no child is put at risk because a centre was allowed to cut corners or avoid scrutiny.
Where oversight is strong and independent. Where regulators have the power to shut down unsafe services, inspect centres without warning, and make sure every worker is properly vetted and trained.
A system built around public and community-run centres. Centres that are focused on care, not profit.
We know this is possible. Other countries are doing it. The money is there. What's missing is the political will to build a system that puts children, educators and families first.
That's what we're organising for. And with enough of us behind it, we can make it real.
We want a system where educators are properly paid, well trained, and supported to stay in the profession. Where they have the time and resources to build strong relationships and give children the care they need.
Where families don't have to pay thousands just to secure a place, and where no child is put at risk because a centre was allowed to cut corners or avoid scrutiny.
Where oversight is strong and independent. Where regulators have the power to shut down unsafe services, inspect centres without warning, and make sure every worker is properly vetted and trained.
A system built around public and community-run centres. Centres that are focused on care, not profit.
We know this is possible. Other countries are doing it. The money is there. What's missing is the political will to build a system that puts children, educators and families first.
That's what we're organising for. And with enough of us behind it, we can make it real.
ADD YOUR NAME!
To Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Education Minister Jason Clare,
We’re calling on you to urgently fix Australia’s childcare system – not just with safety reforms, but by phasing out for-profit providers and building a public, community-led alternative.
Families deserve affordable care. Children deserve safety and quality. Educators deserve fair wages.
It’s time to put care before profit.
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