Australian states have begun moving to review and reform their childcare sectors in light of the alleged sexual assaults at an early learning centre in Melbourne, but advocates say the federal government needs to step up.

New national child safety rules, including a ban on personal devices and reducing mandatory reporting from seven days to 24 hours, are still months away from coming into effect, despite the Child Safety Review being handed down in 2023.

Work is also under way to develop a national childcare registry. 

WA Education Minister Sabine Winton followed suit, ordering the state’s education and care regulatory unit conduct a “snap review” into the childcare sector.

“Cases such as these are disturbing and understandably distressing for parents,” a spokesperson said.

“Every parent has a right to know their children are going to be safe at an early learning service.”

NSW Premier Chris Minns moved to ban people from appealing a denial of a working with children check after reports that sex offenders had gained the checks on appeal.

“I think it makes a mockery of the working with children check and is a loophole that cannot exist,” he said yesterday.

Queensland is reviewing its system responses to child sexual abuse following the life imprisonment of one of Australia’s worst paedophile, childcare worker Ashley Paul Griffith.

But industry bodies said the issue laid with differing rules and requirements in each state and territory and called for the nationalisation and unification of the education sector.

Act For Kids chief executive Katrina Lines said it was disappointing there was no uniform implementation of recommendations handed down from past inquiries, including the 2017 Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

“That makes it really tricky to have any consistency,” she said.

“What we need is the federal government to take the lead about how we are going to keep children safe in this country, and the minimum set of standards that everybody has to abide by.”

National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollonds said the alleged sexual assault incidents across Melbourne “won’t be the last” unless the federal government implements those recommendations, a national cabinet and a children’s minister.

“The childcare industry requires much stronger regulation, independent monitoring and oversight, and comprehensive enforceable child safeguarding measures,” she said.

Lines added that work also needed to be done to reform workplace culture.

“It can be really difficult to identify worrying behaviours in a co-worker, because people who are targeting children also groom the adults around them,” she said.

“Having ongoing training and support for workers is really important, but we have a childcare system where we’re struggling to get workers.”

Education Minister Jason Clare conceded “there’s more to do”.

“This is serious, and it requires serious action,” he said yesterday. 

“It’s taken too long to do the work necessary to make sure that our working with children check system is up to scratch.

“It’s only one of the things that we need to focus on here if we’re serious about making sure that we keep our kids.”

Clare added that the country’s education ministers are working on a package of reforms to make childcare and early education centres as safe as possible.

He had also previously stated he would introduce legislation that would cut funding from childcare centres that do not meet safety and the quality standards.

The Coalition has indicated it will support any child safety measures the government puts to parliament when it meets next week.

Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800.