It is my pleasure to table the Education and Care Services National Law (ACT) Bill 2011.

 

The Bill provides for the introduction in the ACT of the single national regulatory system for childcare, family day care and outside school hours care, as well as for ACT Government and independent pre-schools.

 

It proposes the adoption in the ACT of the Education and Care Services National Law as an applied law of the Territory.

 

This National Law contained in a schedule to the Education and Care Services National Law Act 2010 (VIC).

 

In applying the National Law, the Bill implements the National Quality Framework, which aims to raise the quality of care to children in early childhood, as well as outside school hours care services.

 

The National Quality Standard will come into effect in the ACT on 1 January 2012.

 

The new law and regulations will introduce a new national quality assessment and rating system, which will see services assessed and rated against each of seven quality areas of the national standard.

 

 These quality areas are:

 

·         Educational program and practice

·         Children’s health and safety

·         Physical environment

·         Staffing arrangements

·         Relationships with Children

·         Collaborative partnerships with families and communities

·         Leadership and service management

 

The assessment and rating system will drive continual quality improvement within services and the rating will provide families with better information for making choices about their children’s education and care. These ratings will be published.

 

The assessment and rating process will be carried out by the regulatory authority in the ACT, which will be the Department of Disability Housing and Community Services.

 

The Department will delegate some of its authority to the Department of Education and Training to specifically support ACT Government pre-schools.

 

A national body is also being established – based in NSW – called the ‘Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority’.

 

The Authority will coordinate and guide the national quality framework and ensure the consistent and effective implementation of the new system.

 

Mr Speaker, the new regulations will be phased in over the next 10 years to give services time to adjust to the new standards.

 

There will be two key impacts that ACT services will need to address; namely the educator to child ratio and qualifications of staff.

 

In terms of compliance, the ACT already meets the new ‘educator to child ratio’ outlined in the standards for children over two.

 

However, from 1 January 2012, ACT services that deliver care for children under the age of two will need to move from a one to five, to a one to four, educator to child ratio.

 

ACT Government and Independent preschools will be required to move to a ratio of one educator to eleven children, to align with long-day care from January 2016.

 

The current ratio is two educators to twenty five children. The Department of Education and Training in the ACT advise that it will be complaint by 2014 — two years earlier than required.

 

From 1 January 2014, 50% of educators will need to be qualified at diploma level or actively working towards the qualification.

 

The remaining educators will need to have – or be working towards completing – at least a certificate three in children’s services.

 

An early childhood teacher must also be provided in all long day care centres.

 

In this regard, it is recognised there is a skill shortage of qualified early childhood educators across Australia and actions continue to be taken to support the sector to meet the new qualification requirements.

 

The Australian Government has removed regulated course fees to attract more people to the industry and to encourage those already involved to up-skill.

 

As a result, here in the ACT we have seen a marked increase in students enrolled in the various courses available at tertiary level through the Department of Education and Training and the Canberra Institute of Technology.

 

The Australian Catholic University and the University of Canberra continue to offer access to the early childhood teaching degree.

 

The ACT Government is also contributing through investment in capital upgrades and maintenance to assist services who may wish to modify their premises to meet the new educator to child ratio standard.

 

Recently, I announced a ‘Child Care Grants Program’ to support eligible services in their planning for the implementation of the National Quality Framework.

 

Services will able to access up to $10,000 for planning and design purposes, equipment or fit-out and fittings.

 

Mr Speaker such a significant reform, a reform that will ensure that the children of the ACT enjoy quality education and care, will come at a cost.

 

In 2009 Access Economics was commissioned by the Council of Australian Governments to undertake economic modelling of the cost impacts for implementing the national quality framework.

 

It found that the estimated additional increase in childcare fees in the ACT would be in the order of $2.75 per child per week in long day care in 2012, up to $11.39 by 2015. This equates to 55 cents per day in 2012 and $2.39 per day in 2015. 

 

This modeling remains valid.

 

The Australian Government will continue to pay at least 50% of the out of pocket costs of families that claim the Child Care Rebate.

 

For some families the Australian Government will, through its combined Child Care Benefit and Childcare Rebate, cover the majority of the costs.

 

The Australian Government estimates that these benefits and rebates have resulted child care costs to parents dropping from 13% of disposable income in 2004 to 7% currently.

 

Mr Speaker, these changes are significant and are driven by the vision that by 2020, all children have the best start in life to create a better future for them and the nation.

 

We know that parents want high quality care for their children.

 

We also know they want meaningful and caring relationships between the educators and the children and parents.

 

Few would disagree that children deserve the very best education and care. 

 

We recognise and accept the increasing volume of evidence that early learning is critical to a child’s development — and that education and care services play an important role in this regard.

 

Quality early childhood education, provided by qualified, well-trained educators, gives children the best start in life by helping develop children’s literacy, numeracy and social skills in the years before compulsory schooling.

 

Quality early childhood education ensures that children during their early years are able learn and grow in positive, nurturing environments.

 

Under the new national laws parents will be able to consistently high quality education and care wherever they live in Australia or in the ACT. 

 

Parents and carers will be provided with detailed information so they are in the best possible position to choose the education and care options that best suit their needs.

 

Educators will have more time to spend with individual children allowing for more positive relationships and interactions. Educators will experience greater job satisfaction and will be more likely to stay in the sector.

 

From a business perspective, the Bill seeks to reduce the regulatory burden on operators by replacing existing separate licensing and quality assurance processes.

 

A single national regulatory system will minimise administrative processes for services and improve the cost effectiveness of the regulatory framework.

 

Finally, Mr Speaker, the national law will be reviewed in 2014. This review will consider if children’s services outside of the scope of the national law should be included within it.

 

It will also consider the effectiveness of the law in achieving the goals set out by the Council of Australian Governments’ agreement.

 

I would like to thank service providers in the ACT to their commitment to children and families and to the reform process.

 

I also acknowledge the important partnership between DHCS and the Department of Education and Training in addressing these important changes.

 

Mr Speaker, the first five years of a child’s life last a lifetime.

 

This Bill recognises that there are lifelong benefits of quality early childhood education and I commend the Education and Care Services National Law (ACT) Bill 2011 to the ACT Legislative Assembly.