COAG Decision Regulation Impact Statement – COAG Education Council
In January 2017, the COAG Education Council endorsed changes to the National Quality Framework (NQF) for Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) arising from the 2014 National Quality Agenda Review.
The most significant changes proposed are:
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A simplified and more transparent assessment and rating process for all services, which includes a revised National Quality Standard.
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Measures to improve oversight of and support within Family Day Care (FDC) services, which are aimed at increasing the integrity and transparency of FDC delivery and helping to ensure quality outcomes for children.
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Streamlined documentation of assessments or evaluations of school age children in Outside School Hours Care (OSHC).
Although individual measures are expected to involve regulatory costs for the ECEC sector, in particular up-front transitional costs, over time there will be cost savings and the overall package is estimated to provide net savings of $43.6 million in average annual regulatory costs. The regulatory cost saving estimate has been agreed with the Office of Best Practice Regulation (OBPR).
The Department of Education and Training prepared a Decision RIS that was provided to the Education Council for their decision. The RIS was assessed as compliant by the OBPR under the COAG RIS requirements.
A Consultation RIS was previously published in November 2014.