Dozens and dozens of people are set to have their clearance to work with children immediately pulled under urgent state law changes prompted by a sector safety crisis.
Legislation was introduced to Victorian parliament on Tuesday to require checks under reassessment for planned cancellation be immediately suspended.
There were 173 people in that category as of Tuesday and all will have their checks suspended by the regulator once the laws are enacted, Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny said.
People under investigation for offences can continue to hold a permit to work with children in Victoria.
Only those charged with a “very serious offence” such as sexual assault can currently be immediately suspended, Ms Kilkenny said.
Workers and volunteers charged with or convicted of a less serious offence are able to keep their check for 28 days to allow them to plead their case against revocation.
Under the changes, Ms Kilkenny said that there would be no delay in stripping checks for people accused of “any offence that poses a risk to children” or “any relevant regulatory or disciplinary finding”.
“New laws today identify that gap and are going to fix and fill that gap,” Ms Kilkenny said.
“That makes sense.”
Governments across the nation have been racing to tighten regulations after Melbourne childcare worker Joshua Dale Brown was charged with sexually abusing eight children under the age of two at a centre in Point Cook.
Brown had a valid working with children check while employed at 24 childcare facilities across the city between 2017 and 2025.
The Victorian legislation will also extend the time limit for people to be charged with providing false or misleading information when applying for a check from 12 months to five-and-a-half years.
Ms Kilkenny said the 12-month statute of limitations was not appropriate, with falsehoods often discovered later than that.
The changes, unveiled on August 20 after a Victorian rapid review into the troubled sector, will come into effect as soon as the bill passes parliament and receives royal assent.
The bill is likely to sail through both houses of parliament with opposition and crossbench support.
“If it is passed today, we’d be seeking that royal assent to be as early as tomorrow,” Premier Jacinta Allan said.
Legislation to be introduced in October will contain more reforms to remove people’s ability to challenge the suspension, revocation and denial of clearances to work with children.
It will also address other recommendations of the review, including bringing the permit scheme and reportable conduct regime under the control of Victoria’s social services regulator.
Ten of the 15 recommendations that the review directed at national laws were agreed to in full or part at Friday’s meeting of education ministers, Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn said.
“Nothing was disagreed … there are some things that require some further work,” she said
Federal, state and territory education ministers will next meet in October.
