Insights Sectors: Community

The new laws which applied from 1 January 2019, regulate the way in which employers in the child care industry identify, investigate and respond to all child safety allegations. The laws apply to all Victorian approved child care providers under the Education and Care Services National Law Act 2010 (Vic) and any children’s service under […]

On 16 September 2018 the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, announced that he will ask the Governor General to establish a Royal Commission to examine the quality of care in residential and home care services provided to senior Australians and also younger persons with disabilities who are living in residential aged care. The Terms of Reference […]

An expansion of claims for loss of earning capacity. The High Court of Australia has held that a superannuation pension can be included in the calculation of damages in a negligence action. [1] The 71 year old plaintiff, Mr Latz, was diagnosed with terminal malignant mesothelioma, in October 2016.  He issued proceedings against Amaca Pty […]

2 July 2018 saw a huge change in the practical and legal governance of child care benefits across Australia with the introduction of the new Child Care Subsidy (CCS) and removal of Child Care Benefit and Child Care Rebate. CCS continues to be regulated by the A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999 and […]

In the wake of the “Betrayal of Trust Inquiry” the Victorian government is rolling out wide ranging new legislative amendments[1] in the form of the Reportable Conduct Scheme (the Scheme).  These changes aim to strengthen organisational responses to child abuse allegations, and ensure systems are in place to prevent child abuse. Changes include strict reporting and […]

Important changes to funding and disclosure laws which apply to charities are on the horizon under proposed changes to Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 (‘Electoral Act’). Non-party Political Actors Under the Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Funding and Disclosure Reform) Bill 2017 (‘the Bill’) which was introduced into Commonwealth Parliament late last year, a new regulatory regime […]

The term ‘not-for-profit’ describes a range of organisations that are bound together by a purpose to achieve a public, social or community outcome, not for the profit or gain (either direct or indirect) of its individual members. Legal structure The term ‘not-for-profit’ does not indicate any specific type of legal structure and there are a […]

Are you aware that there are stringent requirements to retain child care records and also to implement supporting policies? The regulations relating to the retention of child care records are reflected in the Education and Care Services National Regulations Regulation 177 and 183, which are adopted in Victoria under the Education and Care Services National […]

Vital role of early childcare workers recognised by law reform – ‘Mason’s Law’: Changes to the Child Protection Act 1999 (Qld) reflect the vital role workers in the early childhood sector play in the health and wellbeing of Queensland’s children. These changes will take effect on 1 July 2017. Early childhood carers and educators are […]

Child care services may wish to apply for an amendment to their service approval for example, to increase the number of children that can be cared for at any one time. Applications to amend service approvals must be in writing and contain prescribed information. Child care services are encouraged to submit the application online using the […]

Proposed changes to the National Quality Framework (NQF) have been agreed and will be introduced from October 2017. The changes include: A revised National Quality Standard to strengthen quality in education and care by reducing the number of standards and elements from 18 standards to 15, and 58 to 40 elements. Changes aimed to achieve greater […]