The report aims to provide a balanced view of the present state of the Australian childcare system and some recommendations for reform. It finds that while public spending on childcare exceeds $14 billion annually, accessibility and quality remain uneven. It proposes that Australia’s childcare market would perform better with reduced regulatory interference and greater transparency.

The research report analyses the legal frameworks in place in Queensland that aim to protect children from sexual abuse across the early childhood education and care, police and blue card systems. The research report is available to inform legal and policy reforms across Australia.

The problem examined in this Decision Regulation Impact Statement (D-RIS) is that more could be done to better support services to protect children attending an education and care service, with a focus on improving child safety. Several policy options have been identified in the D-RIS, including regulatory and non-regulatory approaches, to improve child safety.

A review into early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings identifies key actions for government to improve child safety in Victoria and could be considered for reforms nationally. The overwhelming conclusion is that while the current market-driven model for ECEC remains, the risks to quality and safety in early childhood education and care will persist.

Australia's care system is coming under increasing pressure to deliver high-quality services at a sustainable cost. This interim report presents draft recommendations focused on three key policy reform areas: quality and safety regulation, collaborative commissioning to increase integration in care, and a national framework to support government investment in prevention.