Professors urge governments to overhaul ‘broken’ childcare system – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Report on Systemic Failures in Australia’s Early Childhood Education Sector and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: A Sector in Crisis

Australia’s early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector is facing a systemic crisis, undermining national progress towards key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A coalition of 55 leading academics, the Early Childhood Professorial Advisory Council (ECPAC), has presented a six-point action plan to federal and state ministers, urging transformative reform. The plan addresses widespread failures, including abuse, chronic understaffing, and regulatory gaps, which directly contravene the principles of SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).

Systemic Deficiencies and Contradiction of SDG Commitments

Failure to Uphold SDG 4: Quality Education

The current state of the ECEC sector represents a significant challenge to achieving SDG Target 4.2, which calls for access to quality early childhood development, care, and pre-primary education. Investigations have revealed that systemic failures are exposing children to low-quality and unsafe environments, fundamentally compromising their learning, development, and well-being. The ECPAC report argues that reactive policy measures are insufficient and calls for a foundational reset to prioritise long-term quality.

Violations of Child Protection and Well-being (SDG 3 & SDG 16)

Widespread reports of physical and sexual abuse within the $22 billion sector are a direct violation of SDG Target 16.2, which aims to end abuse, exploitation, and all forms of violence against children. The crisis also impacts SDG 3, which seeks to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all ages. Failures in the system include:

• Inadequate safeguards and regulatory gaps.
• Systemic failures in Working With Children Checks (WWCC), with an estimated 27% of the workforce unmonitored.
• High-profile cases of abuse occurring in centres rated as meeting or exceeding the National Quality Standard (NQS).

Deficits in Decent Work for Educators (SDG 8)

The ECEC workforce is described as “overworked, underpaid and undervalued,” a situation that conflicts with SDG 8’s objective to promote decent work for all. Poor working conditions and inadequate professional pay not only impact the economic security of educators but also directly degrade the quality of education and care provided, creating a barrier to achieving SDG 4.

A Six-Point Framework for SDG-Aligned Reform

The ECPAC has proposed a six-point national policy action plan designed to rebuild the ECEC system on a foundation of quality, safety, and public trust, aligning it with international development goals.

The National Policy Action Principles

1. Putting children’s interests first: Prioritising quality early education to ensure children’s safety, learning, development, and well-being, in line with SDG 3 and SDG 4.
2. Funding and governing ECEC as a vital public good: Treating early education as the foundational stage of the national education system to promote equitable access, supporting SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).
3. Lifting workforce quality: Ensuring professional pay, improved conditions, and rigorous teacher training to achieve the principles of SDG 8 (Decent Work).
4. Implementing stronger quality controls: This includes lowering staff-to-child ratios for children under two (from 1:4 to 1:3), ensuring a qualified teacher in every room, and limiting the expansion of low-quality for-profit providers.
5. Ensuring greater transparency and accountability: Mandating public reporting of financial and operational data and resourcing regulators for frequent, unannounced inspections, directly addressing the aims of SDG 16.6 (effective, accountable and transparent institutions).
6. Establishing an independent national early childhood commission: Creating a body with the authority to oversee, coordinate, and plan the system, acting as a steward to ensure institutional integrity as envisioned in SDG 16.

Institutional and Regulatory Failures Hindering Progress

The Call for Stronger Institutions (SDG 16)

Experts and advocates, including The Parenthood and the former National Children’s Commissioner, argue that current governance arrangements are “not fit for purpose.” The fragmented responsibility between federal, state, and territory governments has led to a lack of accountability, creating “cracks in the system” that allow children to be harmed. This institutional weakness is a primary obstacle to progress.

Specific Regulatory Shortcomings

• The Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) lacks the power to investigate or enforce compliance, relying on inconsistent state and territory regulators.
• The National Quality Standard (NQS) rating system has proven unreliable, with centres where serious abuse occurred receiving “exceeding” ratings.
• Staff-to-child ratios are considered unsafe and unrealistic, particularly for children under two, leading to poor supervision.
• The complexity of state-based mandatory reporting systems and WWCC verification creates significant compliance and safety gaps.

The establishment of an independent national commission is seen as a critical step toward building the effective and accountable institutions required by SDG 16 to protect children and guarantee quality education.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 4: Quality Education

   The article is fundamentally about the quality of early childhood education and care (ECEC) in Australia. It discusses the need to fix a “broken” system to ensure it promotes “children’s learning, safety, development and wellbeing.” The proposed six-point action plan directly aims to improve the educational foundation for young children, treating ECEC as “the foundational stage of Australia’s education system.”

2. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   The article highlights poor working conditions for childcare professionals, stating that “early childhood teachers and educators are still overworked, underpaid and undervalued.” The action plan explicitly calls for “lifting workforce quality through professional pay, better conditions, and consistent, rigorous teacher training,” which directly relates to achieving decent work for this workforce.

3. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

   This goal is central to the article’s focus on systemic failures. The text describes “widespread physical and sexual abuse” (violence against children), “systemic regulatory failure,” and a lack of accountability. The proposed solutions, such as “greater transparency and accountability,” resourcing regulators for “rigorous and unannounced inspections,” and establishing an “independent national early childhood commission,” are all measures aimed at building effective, accountable, and just institutions to protect children.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Under SDG 4: Quality Education

  • Target 4.2: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education. The article’s entire premise is the failure to provide “high quality” and “safe” early childhood education. The six-point plan is a direct response to this, aiming to “reset the sector around long-term quality.”
  • Target 4.c: By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries. The article addresses the domestic supply of qualified teachers by calling for “lifting workforce quality through… consistent, rigorous teacher training” and “ensuring a qualified teacher in every room.”

• Under SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

  • Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men… and equal pay for work of equal value. The article’s description of educators as “underpaid and undervalued” and the plan’s call for “professional pay” and “investment in improved wages” directly align with this target.
  • Target 8.8: Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers… The mention of educators being “overworked” and the call for “better conditions” relate to creating a more secure and sustainable working environment.

• Under SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

  • Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children. The investigation that prompted the action plan uncovered “widespread physical and sexual abuse” of children in childcare centers. Reforms like overhauling Working With Children Checks and shutting down unsafe services are direct measures to end violence against children in these settings.
  • Target 16.6: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels. The article critiques “systemic regulatory failure,” “fragmented regulation,” and a lack of accountability where “no-one [is] clearly responsible.” The calls for “greater transparency and accountability,” “mandatory public reporting of financial and operational data,” and the establishment of an “independent national early childhood commission” are all aimed at building effective and transparent institutions.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, the article mentions or implies several specific indicators:

• Indicators for SDG 4 (Quality Education)

  • Staff-to-child ratios: The article explicitly proposes lowering the ratio from “1:4 to 1:3 for children under two” as a measure of quality and supervision. This is a quantifiable indicator.
  • Proportion of staff who are qualified teachers: The plan calls for “ensuring a qualified teacher in every room,” implying that the percentage of rooms or centers meeting this standard is a key metric.
  • Frequency and nature of regulatory inspections: Progress can be measured by tracking the implementation of “frequent, rigorous and unannounced inspections,” as called for in the action plan.

• Indicators for SDG 8 (Decent Work)

  • Wage levels for educators: The call for “professional pay” and “improved wages” implies that the average salary of early childhood educators can be used as an indicator to measure progress towards decent work.

• Indicators for SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions)

  • Proportion of staff with valid and monitored Working With Children Checks (WWCC): The article implies this is a critical indicator by highlighting that an estimated “27 per cent of the WWCC workforce is unmonitored” and that centers had “invalid, expired or missing” checks.
  • Public availability of provider data: The call for “mandatory public reporting of financial and operational data for all providers” serves as a direct indicator of transparency.
  • Establishment of an oversight body: The creation of the proposed “independent national early childhood commission” is a clear, measurable indicator of institutional reform.
  • Incidence of abuse in childcare settings: The number of reported and substantiated cases of physical and sexual abuse is the primary (though negative) indicator for measuring progress on Target 16.2.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: abc.net.au