Western Australia's early childhood education sector is facing a significant safety crisis, with new data exposing a shocking rise in serious incidents at child care centres. According to the Productivity Commission's latest report on government services, a staggering 2286 serious incidents were recorded in WA early childhood education and care centres during the 2024-25 period.
Alarming Statistics and Trends
This figure represents an increase from 2154 incidents the previous year and marks an 81 per cent surge compared to the 1261 incidents recorded just five years ago. The data translates to a rate of more than eight serious incidents occurring every single day across the state's child care facilities.
The breakdown of these incidents reveals concerning patterns:
- 1827 cases involved injury, trauma, or illness, including severe incidents such as broken limbs, seizures, or acute asthma attacks
- 281 incidents where children were "locked in/out, taken away or unaccounted for"
- 178 cases requiring emergency services attendance, up slightly from 161 the previous year
Regulatory Breaches and National Comparisons
Of the total incidents recorded in Western Australia, 264 were associated with confirmed breaches of regulations. WA demonstrated the highest proportion of serious incidents related to confirmed breaches among all jurisdictions, with 11.5 per cent of incidents involving regulatory violations.
Nationally, the situation appears equally troubling. Nearly 8 per cent of serious incidents in 2024-25 were linked to regulatory breaches, representing double the 4.1 per cent rate first reported in 2019-20. The report also indicates that the rate of cases reported in centres reached a new national high of 160 serious incidents per 100 National Quality Framework approved services.
Disturbing Case Examples
The report includes specific examples that illustrate the severity of incidents occurring in WA child care centres:
In January 2025, a seven-year-old boy was locked in a bus for more than 10 minutes when temperatures reached 40°C. The Amity Early Learning Centre in Forrestfield faced consequences for this incident, receiving a $36,000 fine from the State Administrative Tribunal.
Another concerning case occurred in August 2024 at Mirrabooka's Busy Bees centre, where staff locked up and departed 20 minutes early, inadvertently leaving a 16-month-old toddler behind. Maragon Australia Pty Ltd, the operator, was fined $16,000 for this serious oversight.
Government Response and Review Findings
In response to growing concerns, Early Childhood Minister Sabine Winton ordered a snap review of child care safety protocols following horrific abuse allegations in Melbourne. The review identified a 14 per cent increase in compliance issues within WA childcare centres, with reports rising to 5428 in 2024-25 from 4677 the previous year.
Despite these findings, Minister Winton maintained that the state's regulatory regime remains "robust and operating well." She told Parliament in August that the government would support all recommendations from the snap review in principle, pending further work at both state and national levels.
The government has committed $1.1 million to enhance the education and care regulatory unit's capacity, aiming to improve compliance and quality measures across early learning services.
Staffing Concerns and Legislative Developments
The Productivity Commission report highlighted additional concerns regarding staff quality within the sector. Only 75 per cent of paid contact staff now possess three or more years of experience, down significantly from 82.1 per cent in 2021.
The snap review generated five key recommendations, including identifying gaps in staff training, publishing compliance actions, and urging the State Government to "urgently" progress legislation to implement nationwide changes.
The Education and Care Services National Law Application Bill 2025, examined by an Upper House committee in October, raised concerns about "vague and wide" modifications. The bill is scheduled to return to the Legislative Council for further debate when Parliament resumes next week.
In a related development, WA announced plans to follow Victoria's lead in banning mobile phones in daycare centres. This decision came after Melbourne childcare worker Joshua Dale Brown faced charges for more than 70 offences against babies and toddlers, necessitating health checks for approximately 1200 children for infectious diseases.
