Mal Brough (Longman, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

We are working with the industry to do that—when I say ‘we’, the NAC is—and my understanding is that they are due out in the next two weeks. It is the principles behind those forms that we have discussed with them; but, ultimately, it will be a decision for the NAC, with industry, to ensure that they are appropriate. I looked at 100 forms that had been completed, and I was extremely unhappy. I actually went and got a cross-section of the spot check forms and had a look at them to satisfy myself as to whether or not they were meeting what we were after. I think, as you would agree, Member for Jagajaga, if you go into a childcare centre you know pretty quickly whether or not it is a good environment, a healthy environment et cetera. What we are trying to achieve with the spot checks is to pick up anything that is grossly inadequate so that it can be dealt with immediately. We want to pick up things which should be dealt with. They may actually be a state responsibility. Sometimes when people are in the organisation, they may see things that are in fact part of the NAC’s responsibility.

There is the issue of detailed bits of paper being filled out. I described to one of those conferences an example given of a form that had been completed by a spot checker. Because the certificate was not in the appropriate place, in a footnote they wrote, ‘The certificate was not in the appropriate place because the building was being painted and the certificate was on the floor.’ It is an extraordinary story. And then it said, ‘Please explain within eight weeks’—or whatever else—‘why it was not so.’ And you say to yourself, ‘This is barmy.’ So what we want it to do is actually address the needs of the parents and our needs as legislators to ensure that the environment is as it should be, that it is meeting the requirements of the NAC and that we are not just creating paperwork for the sake of paperwork. They were the principles behind it, and the paperwork will be out there within the next couple of weeks.

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