Qld: Bush parents face hit from new child care laws, opposition

AAP General News (Australia)
04-22-2000
Qld: Bush parents face hit from new child care laws, opposition

By Ainsley Pavey

BRISBANE, April 22 AAP - New laws to crack down on backyard child carers in Queensland
could hurt parents in the bush and allow sex offenders to set up centres, the state Opposition
alleged today.

Queensland Opposition families spokesman Denver Beanland criticised the proposed laws,
which would limit commercial backyard carers to six primary school children, plus their
own, with no more than four under the age of six.

He said paedophiles could set up centres because of slack registration procedures,
and bush parents would have nowhere to take their children.

"If this bill is passed it will be a big let down to mums and dads across Queensland,"

Mr Beanland said today.

"You can't tell me that a paedophile is going to worry about the new laws. It's really
a half-baked idea that's been cobbled together without much thought."

Families Minister Anna Bligh defended the laws, saying they would introduce unprecedented
checks of child carers, deliver hefty fines for breaches and bring the state into line
with national laws.

The new laws were introduced into state Parliament a fortnight ago and will be debated
in coming weeks.

Ms Bligh said existing child carers would be given three months to comply with the
laws once they were enacted.

Under the laws, the Office of Childcare would conduct background checks and eliminate
applicants with assault and sex offence convictions.

"It's extremely hypocritical of Denver Beanland to be opposed to these laws when an
18-month-old child drowned in a pool in a backyard child care centre in 1995 when he was
in government," Ms Bligh said today.

"He wants to have two bob each way. ... The laws set a minimum standard and it's like
any new legislation: whenever you draw a line in the sand, there's always going to be
people who fall outside of that."

Ms Bligh said carers must be over 18 and take out public liability insurance. They
will face a maximum $7,500 fine if they breach the laws.

AAP ap/ps/br

KEYWORD: CHILDCARE NIGHTLEAD

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