Changes to the NQS Less red tape & fewer elements

Australian, territory and state education ministers have agreed on changes to the National Quality Framework following a review of the National Partnership Agreement on the National Quality Agenda for Early Childhood Education and Care that began in 2014.

The ministers agreed on the importance of maintaining quality outcomes for children, while balancing the needs to reduce red tape and unnecessary administrative burden for providers.

Key decisions: A revised National Quality Standard (NQS) to strengthen quality through greater clarity, remove conceptual overlap between elements and standards, clarify language and reduce the number of standards and elements from 18 standards to 15, and 58 to 40 elements.
Improved oversight and support within Family Day Care to achieve better compliance and quality across the whole sector.
Removing supervisor certificate requirements so service providers have more autonomy in deciding who can be the responsible person in each service, and to reduce red tape.
Introduction of a national educator to child ratio of 1:15 for services providing education and care to school age children. Transitional arrangement and saving provisions apply in some states and territories. Timeframe:

After passage through the Victorian parliament, legislation changes will come into effect:

1 October 2017 - National Law and Regulations changes commence in all states and territories, except Western Australia. In Western Australia changes will commence by 1 October 2018 to allow for the legislation to pass through that parliament.

1 February 2018 - Revised National Quality Standard commences in all states and territories, including Western Australia.