ACA NSW strives to serve our members and the early childhood education and care sector to the best of our abilities and resources. We work with our members, our ACA National Committee as well as our sector peers to agitate, facilitate and produce positive changes and useful services primarily for our member Approved Providers, but ultimately also our children, educators, teachers and families.

 

The following summarises the milestone results of ACA NSW's/ACA National's advocacies and new support services to date and since 2016/2017:

 

  1. Expansion of preschool children (free) health and physical development checks by NSW Health (beginning 1 July 2023)
  2. Regulatory sandboxing via 72 pilot sites due to Universal Pre-Kindergarten (since February 2023)
  3. 75% of annual Start Strong funding allocation distributed in 2023Q1
  4. 51% to 328% increase in Start Strong funding for LDCs (fixing the unfairness that began in 2014)
  5. NSW Labor’s 100 preschools on school grounds subject to local and public confirmation of undersupply
  6. Market Monitoring Report via Childcare and Economic Opportunity Fund (legislated in December 2022)
  7. Federal Minister's and NSW Department of Education's publicly articulated concerns about 40%-45% of children not developmentally on track upon starting school
  8. Federal Government's establishment of a new Preschool Children's outcomes and measures Expert Advisory Group in 2021
  9. NSW Productivity Commissioner's 3 publications expressing concerns about NSW's higher regulatory imposts (estimated as $3,000/child/year more than all other jurisdictions)
  10. NSW Small Business Commissioner's publication expressing concerns over NSW Department of Education's treatment of privately-owned ECEC services
  11. Reducing/stopping the debt clawbacks from Approved Providers caused by parents
  12. Streamlining Authorised Officers' A&R reports via the NSW Self-Assessment Working Documents (vis a vis all other states’ A&Rs)
  13. Timely ECEC translated COVID updates (vis a vis NSW Department of Education's, NSW Health's, NSW Police's)
  14. Business Continuity Payments during the COVID pandemic
  15. Building Code of Australia's changes in the National Construction Code to address fire protection and safety of children for all (new) ECEC services
  16. Fair Work Commission's dismissal of unions’ up to 72% and up to 59% pay increase claims
  17. 92% success rate for customised package for educators/teachers seeking to be excused from jury duty (notwithstanding civic duty and legal egalitarianism)
  18. Introduction of Guild Early Learning as a competitor specialist workers compensation insurance provider to the NSW Government's iCare
  19. Introduction of live and on-demand business-related training for Approved Providers that are delivered within 2 hours or less
  20. Superior RTO training offering via KKTC


A number of the above may be a variation of ACA NSW's original asks primarily due to ACA NSW not having direct decision-making responsibilities.

 

For any further information/clarification, please contact the ACA NSW team via 1300 556 330 or nsw@childcarealliance.org.au.

 

LAST UPDATED: 24 FEBRUARY 2023

FIRST PUBLISHED: 22 NOVEMBER 2020