South Australia is making strides in reforming childcare following a series of high-profile incidents. Photo: Wo Sunan.
The Malinauskas Labor Government in South Australia is moving in line with the rest of the country by further strengthening efforts to prioritise child safety at the heart of early childhood education and care (ECEC).
Minister for Education, Training and Skills Blair Boyer announced $21.8 million over the next five years to expand compliance and raise standards across early childhood services in the state, a move mirrored in the rest of the country.
“Our government is now building on our previous investment with ongoing additional funding for the ESB [Education Standards Board] – $21.8 million over five years,” Mr Boyer said.
”This will deliver increased compliance checks and ensure ratings of ECEC services are updated every three years, the nation-leading standard recommended by our royal commission.
”We are providing the ESB with the necessary resources to ensure the highest-quality early learning across South Australia.”
Included in the investment is an immediate $900,000 injection in 2025-26 to double the ESB’s compliance function, in addition to a $4.6 million annual boost to assessment and ratings of early childhood services.
The investment expands on the $7.1 million committed last year to bolster the ESB’s operations, which the government said had resulted in a doubling of regulatory officers, increased frequency of assessment and ratings, and more unannounced service inspections.
The government recently announced a ban on the use of personal devices in all centre-based early years services across the state, in an effort to further protect children in childcare centres. The policy, developed with the Victorian Government, bans personal devices in advance of proposed national laws.
“South Australia was also the first jurisdiction with Victoria to implement a personal device ban in early learning settings,” Mr Boyer said.
”I’m looking forward to discussing with my state and territory colleagues how we have rolled this out to ensure all jurisdictions are in line with each other.”
Such reforms further add to South Australia’s landmark $1.9 billion early childhood reform agenda, which represents the largest investment in early childhood in the state’s history.
Vital to the reforms is the universal introduction of preschool for three-year-olds. The government said quality and safety would be “embedded as a priority”.
To become a funded three-year-old preschool provider under the emerging system, services must be put through an eligibility test informed by ESB advice and data, including systemic safety and quality considerations.
Services rated as Working Towards the National Quality Framework are contractually required to undergo the Quality Uplift Program, led by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA).
In a move designed to back the early childhood workforce, the government has locked in $118.63 million in investment over five years to grow, train and retain skilled educators and teachers.
The funding will bolster new pathways into the field, reinforce professional development and support staff to deliver safe, high-quality education and care.
