WA CHILDCARE SAFETY LAWS STILL NOT IN FORCE AS NATIONAL TRAINING DEADLINE APPROACHES

Childcare workers across Australia are approaching a major new child safety training deadline.

But in Western Australia, the corresponding national Child Safety amendments still do not apply.

WA's Education and Care Regulatory Unit has confirmed that amendments made nationally in December 2025 and early 2026 are still awaiting completion of WA Parliament's review process.

The Department says it will provide more information when the timeline becomes clearer.

In the meantime, WA childcare providers are being encouraged to comply voluntarily with requirements that have not yet commenced here.

Nationally, workers and regular volunteers already working in affected education and care services must complete new Foundation child safety training by 27 August 2026.

For people starting from 14 August, the training generally needs to be completed before they work directly with children or within 14 days of employment.

THE UNCOMFORTABLE QUESTION

Why are nationally agreed child safety protections approaching mandatory deadlines elsewhere while WA is still asking its childcare sector to follow them voluntarily?

WA'S NEW LEGISLATIVE SYSTEM

This is particularly significant because WA changed its legislative system on 01 May 2026.

The Government itself previously acknowledged that WA's old system resulted in national childcare reforms being implemented later here than in other jurisdictions. The new applied law model was intended to support the more timely application of future amendments.

Yet its first major child safety package remains outstanding.

WHAT WA DOES HAVE

To be clear, this does not mean WA has no child safety requirements.

WA introduced other reforms from September 2025, including requirements around digital technology and online environment policies and reducing the notification timeframe for physical or sexual abuse incidents or allegations from seven days to 24 hours.

THE ISSUE

When governments nationally agree a new protection for children is necessary, how long should WA children have to wait before that protection becomes enforceable here?

WA in Focus is continuing to examine the timeline of national childcare safety reforms and when each became law in Western Australia.