Social media ban no ‘watertight’ fix for child safety
A social media ban is unlikely to completely protect kids from online harms as questions remain over age-assurance technology.
parent and child
Huge cost of missing early intervention for children
A failure to identify health and development issues in young Australians is costing $22.3 billion annually, described as a "wake-up call" for governments.
No ‘idle threat’: childcare on notice as reforms agreed
Education ministers have agreed to a national CCTV trial in childcare centres, a workers register and mandatory training as providers are warned to shape up.
Childcare reforms count on tech too much to stop abuse
Childcare workers will be placed under greater monitoring and supervision but experts say deeper issues within the sector are enabling predatory behaviour.
Mum’s justice plea for coffee-attack baby as man found
Almost a year after an attack that shocked a nation, the mother of a baby badly burnt by a stranger's coffee is still seeking justice for her recovering son.
‘Standard practice’: summiteers play down Treasury leak
Experts believe there's still hope for reform at an upcoming productivity roundtable after Treasury recommendations arising from the summit were leaked.
Reforms begin to close working-with-children loopholes
An urgent plan to close loopholes in working with children checks will not "reinvent the wheel" but the government is confident it will help protect children.
Fresh abuse case prompts childcare plea for worker info
Childcare providers call for more information about their staff's history to protect kids from predators after another worker was accused of abuse.
‘Gaping hole’ in social media ban as YouTube plugged in
YouTube will be included in a social media ban for children under 16, but uncertainty surrounds how the world-first laws will be enforced.
Worried parents demand national childcare watchdog
Plans to strip funding from childcare operators that fail to meet safety standards could place a greater burden on parents, advocacy groups warn.
Gaza baby starves to death weighing less than when born
The latest child to starve to death in Gaza weighed less than when she was born.
‘We failed’: families seek options after abuse charges
Concerned parents are investigating all options to ensure the safety of their children after a childcare educator was charged with abuse.
Birth trauma preventable yet affects too many women
One in three women experience birth trauma, but experts say it can be prevented by improving access to continuity of midwifery care and antenatal education.
Calls grow to back safety over access in childcare
After shocking allegations of abuse, parents have grown hesitant to send their kids to childcare, prompting calls to prioritise child safety rather than access.
CCTV cameras in childcare amid surge in safety breaches
Allegations about careless childcare centres have triggered extensive new powers including hefty fines and CCTV cameras to monitor how children are treated.
‘Backbone of health’: new plan for rural maternity care
Health groups have backed a rural maternity plan after public inquiries revealed some women are travelling hours to have babies as local birth units shut down.
Influencer accused of harming baby faces ‘complex’ case
Police have yet to confirm whether a social media influencer's DNA was found on a pill in a hospital where she allegedly poisoned her baby to gain online fame.
‘Your Pippa is still alive’: mum’s health reform plea
The family of a two-year-old girl who died in hospital after multiple mistakes is seeking change to stop other people's loved ones meeting a similar fate.
Tyrrell foster mum spared intimidation conviction
A court has declined to clear William Tyrrell's foster mother of intimidating another child but has allowed her to walk without conviction.
Probe into motive after mum’s body burnt, son assaulted
A group of men are on the run after a woman and her eight-year-old son were assaulted in their home before she was kidnapped and found dead in a burnt-out car.
Doin’ it for the kids: PM’s pride in childcare legacy
The prime minister touted the government's childcare reforms as he targeted a marginal Liberal-held seat in Brisbane's east.
No child’s play for Nationals in regional battleground
National Party leader David Littleproud has kicked off a renewed battle to win back a key coalition seat, promising to even the score in regional Australia.
Cross-party nod for probe into ‘rogue’ childcare firms
Shocking claims of rampant child mistreatment in privately operated centres have triggered a government-backed inquiry into the early education sector.
Missing boy’s foster dad quashes ‘bootstrap’ conviction
The former foster father of missing toddler William Tyrrell has overturned a conviction over the intimidation of another child during a school-run verbal spat.
Church group who killed girl asked to meet psychiatrist
The wait for a 14-strong religious group to be sentenced for killing an eight-year-old girl after withholding her medication continues after a court review.
‘Cult’ led family from baptism joy to girl’s slow death
A father stood between his wife's belief in shunning medicine and his daughter's need for life-saving insulin before his resolve crumbled amid a family crisis.
Inquest after church group found guilty of killing girl
A coroner will inquire into the death of eight-year-old Elizabeth Struhs after her medicine was withheld by religious group members who included her parents.
Baby’s ‘heart stopped’ after mum gave drugs, court told
A social media influencer has applied for bail after being accused of "offensive" acts, making her infant nearly fatally ill, in order to gain fame and money.
System ‘failed to protect’ girl from parents, church
The system "failed to protect" a diabetic girl killed by her parents and a small religious group who withheld her medication for days, the victim's sister says.
Social media influencer accused of drugging baby bailed
A social media influencer accused of drugging her baby to gain game online fame by manufacturing symptoms that led to surgery has been granted bail.
Subsidy boost may do little to improve childcare access
While families have saved thousands of dollars under an expanded childcare subsidy, experts have warned centres may have no option but to hike fees.