More than 380 childcare providers have been added to the national Childcare Enforcement Register since it was introduced two years ago.
Minister for Education, Dan Tehan said that in the July 2019 quarter, eight childcare services were added with six centres cancelled during the same period.
“We are taking tough action against dodgy childcare operators who are ripping off hard-working Aussie families,” Mr Tehan said.
“Providers who are rorting the childcare system, ripping off families and taxpayers will be caught and may face criminal charges.”
Figures from the Department of Education, Skills and Employment’s register for the first quarter of 2020 reveal that three childcare facilities in NSW were cancelled, with one suspended; two facilities in Queensland were cancelled, with one suspended; one ACT facility was suspended, and one facility in Victoria was cancelled.
Despite the figures, Mr Tehan said the majority of childcare providers were “doing the right thing”.
“Our strong action is protecting their reputation and the good standing of the sector,” he said.
He said more than one million Australian children had been in care of early education and childcare services in the past year, with more than four million sessions of care logged on average each week.
