A massive trove of government documents has laid bare a disturbing pattern of safety failures, negligence and abuse within Canberra's early childhood education sector, prompting the ACT government to flag urgent legislative changes.
A Litany of Failures Across More Than 100 Centres
The ACT government released thousands of pages detailing incident reports, complaints, and regulatory actions from more than 100 territory childcare centres. The documents, published on the Orders for Papers Assembly website, paint a grim picture of an industry struggling to meet basic safety and care standards.
The records span from minor breaches to severe incidents, including children left unsupervised, serious allergic reactions due to staff ignorance, and even cases of sexualised behaviour between children occurring out of educators' sight. One centre was ordered to close after lead paint was discovered on its walls, while others were cited for damaged ceilings, broken toilets, and consistently dirty environments with poor hygiene practices.
Staffing emerged as a critical issue, with numerous complaints alleging that centres operated with fewer educators than legally required. The documents also reveal educators working without proper qualifications or training for their roles.
Minister Berry Flags Key Reforms, Starting with Ratios
In response to the revelations, ACT Education Minister Yvette Berry has committed to pursuing changes at a territory level, even as national reforms are developed. Berry identified staff-to-child ratios as a primary area for immediate action.
"Ratios need to change, because if you have more supervision of children and education then that's going to resolve the issues around safety," Minister Berry stated. She criticised the current practice where some providers treat minimum ratio standards as a target rather than a baseline, applying them to entire centres instead of individual rooms.
Berry, who has been consulting the sector for six months, outlined three key reform areas: revising ratios, ensuring better expertise on service boards, and changing qualification standards for providers. She indicated the ACT may move faster than the national framework, saying, "we think we can probably do some of those quicker than what might happen in the national space."
Calls for Tougher Penalties and Full Transparency
Independent MLA for Kurrajong, Thomas Emerson, who moved the motion to release the documents, argued the data shows repeated infringements have not been met with sufficiently harsh penalties. He called for more rigorous assessment testing at centres with prior complaints and stronger consequences for educators who misconduct themselves.
"If the same educator has repeatedly been alleged to commit the same sorts of acts, that should be a red flag," Mr Emerson said. "We need to be willing to bar people from the sector, even if they've not been criminally convicted. I think there's been too much leeway."
Emerson also expressed concern over redactions in the released documents, which withhold private information and witness statements. He vowed to appeal some redactions, arguing full transparency is essential to hold the regulator accountable and ensure it meets community expectations.
The documents highlight specific cases, including a Genius Education centre in Symonston that reported 11 incidents between 2021 and 2025, involving a child breaking two teeth and another fracturing a wrist. At Wonderschool Conder, an altercation between an educator and a child resulted in the boy suffering two fractures in his foot.
As the ACT government prepares its formal response in 2026, the sector faces intense scrutiny, with families and policymakers demanding swift action to restore trust and ensure the safety of Canberra's youngest and most vulnerable citizens.
