The Queensland Government introduced the Education Legislation (Registration of Early Childhood Teachers) Amendment Bill 2026 to Parliament yesterday.
This is an important milestone for the early childhood sector and a positive step forward for child safety and the uplift of the professional status of early childhood teachers (ECTs).
If passed, it will make teacher registration mandatory for ECTs employed in centre-based early childhood education and care services (ECS).
The Bill aims to:
- strengthen child safety in ECS, building on the reforms for child safety already in place
and - uplift the status of early childhood teachers in Queensland's teaching profession.
To achieve this, the Bill extends the Queensland College of Teachers (QCT) rigorous regulatory framework for the teaching profession to ECS.
The change will apply to persons employed as an ECT in centre-based ECS approved under the Education and Care Services National Law (Queensland) (National Law), including:
- long day care
- kindergarten.
The Bill broadens the range of eligible qualifications for teacher registration.
This includes early childhood teaching qualifications approved by the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA), or assessed by ACECQA as equivalent, where those qualifications are not currently recognised by the QCT.
Persons with these qualifications will be able to apply for teacher registration as soon as the amendments commence, subject to the Bill being passed and assented.
There is a transition period to 1 July 2028 before teacher registration becomes mandatory.
The transition period will give teachers and approved providers time to check eligibility, prepare applications, and update their service systems and practices.
From 1 July 2028, an ECS employing authority (the approved provider under the National Law) cannot employ a person as an ECT unless that person is a registered teacher with the QCT, subject to an applicable waiver under the National Law exempting the service from employing an ECT.
ECS employing authorities will have obligations to notify the QCT of an allegation of harm or risk of harm to a child due to the conduct of a teacher; the outcome of any investigations if they deal with such allegations; or dismissal where the competency of the person to be employed as a teacher is in question. These protective factors are equivalent to those in schools.
More information will be shared by the Department of Education as the Bill progresses. The Department of Education will work with the QCT to support the sector through implementation.
Background
The Queensland Government released a
targeted consultation paper outlining the background of this review, key issues and consultation option.
Thank you to everyone who shared their views on this important initiative during the consultation period.
Frequently asked questions
Child safety is the central purpose of the Bill.
Currently teacher registration is mandatory for teachers in Queensland schools, but voluntary for early childhood teachers working in education and care services.
This means the safeguards that apply to registered teachers are not yet applied consistently across all settings. If passed, the Bill will close that gap by extending the existing teacher registration framework to approved early childhood education and care services.
It provides that when prescribed serious concerns arise about a registered teacher in an education and care service, the Queensland College of Teachers are made aware and can exercise its regulatory functions.
The Bill will apply to:
- early childhood teachers employed in centre-based education and care services approved under the National Law
- approved providers as the employing authorities in those services.
The reforms are targeted to persons employed as an early childhood teacher in an education and care service. They do not apply to every educator or staff member in a service.
The reforms will not apply to:
- outside school hours care
- family day care
- services regulated under the
Education and Care Services Act 2013, because those services are not required to employ an early childhood teacher.
State Delivered Kindergarten programs in state schools will not be impacted by the reforms as teachers are already required to be registered.
If passed, the Bill will require early childhood teachers employed in approved education and care services to hold teacher registration.
It will broaden the range of qualifications for eligibility for teacher registration, to include early childhood teaching qualifications approved by ACECQA, or assessed by ACECQA as equivalent, where those qualifications are not currently recognised by the Queensland College of Teachers.
This will create clearer and fairer pathways into registration.
From the mandatory start date, employing authorities (i.e. approved providers) of education and care services must not employ a person as an early childhood teacher unless that person is a registered teacher, unless that service has a waiver under the National Law exempting the service from employing an early childhood teacher.
The Bill will also extend to education and care service employing authorities important notification obligations to the Queensland College of Teachers in certain circumstances, including where there are allegations of harm or risk of harm to a child because of the conduct of a teacher, or serious concerns about a teacher's competence.
There are 2 key dates:
- Once the legislation is approved—qualification changes will start, allowing more early childhood teachers to be eligible to apply for teacher registration
- From 1 July 2028—mandatory registration requirements and associated employing authority obligations will begin.
This transition period is intended to give early childhood teachers and services time to prepare.
Registration will be managed by the QCT, which is Queensland's independent teacher regulatory authority.
The QCT already has powers to:
- assess applications for registration, including a person's suitability
- monitor ongoing compliance
- investigate concerns
- take action where a teacher's conduct or competence is in question.
Registration will be recorded on the existing teacher register.
The Bill provides for a single teacher register.
A single register is simple, clear and coherent. It supports equity across the profession and reinforces that early childhood teachers are qualified teachers and part of Queensland's teaching profession.
The Bill broadens the qualifications for eligibility for teacher registration to include early childhood teaching qualifications approved by ACECQA or assessed by ACECQA as equivalent.
This is intended to:
- support the workforce by enabling early childhood teachers with ACECQA—approved ECT qualification to apply for teacher registration
- uplift the status of all early childhood teachers in the teaching profession
- create practical pathways into teacher registration.
Some qualifications prepare a person to teach in an education and care service, but not in a school.
In these cases, the QCT will place an education and care services condition (ECS Condition) on the person's registration.
This means the person will be registered to teach only in an education and care service, not in a school.
The condition will appear on the public teacher register and on the teacher's certificate of registration.
Mandatory registration adds another layer of child safety.
It connects early childhood teachers and the services employing them to the QCT, the independent regulator of the teaching profession, which has strong legislated powers to consider suitability of persons to be registered as a teacher, and concerns about a teacher's conduct.
This means that when prescribed serious concerns arise, the regulator will be notified and can act where needed.
The reform helps ensure that professional safeguards apply more consistently across a wide range of settings where children are educated and cared for.
The Bill gives greater recognition to the status of early childhood teachers in the teaching profession in Queensland.
It also supports the
Queensland Early Childhood Workforce Strategy 2025–2028 by recognising expertise, uplifting professional status, and expanding pathways into registration.
The Department of Education will continue to communicate with and work with the sector and the QCT to support readiness and a shared understanding of the new obligations.
The departments Queensland Workforce Strategy and free kindy program has several
initiatives that can support ECTs to become registered and maintain registration through professional development requirements.
The transition period will help teachers and services to:
- understand who is affected
- check, or work towards eligibility
- prepare and submit registration applications
- update service systems and workforce planning.
If the service has an 'Exceptional Circumstance' approval for funding, because the educator delivering the approved kindy program is not yet qualified but is 'actively working towards' their ECT qualification, that educator does not need to hold teacher registration.
Only qualified persons employed as an ECT to meet the requirements under the National Law need to be registered.
Read other scenarios.
The review is exploring how to best include early childhood teachers across the sets of standards, recognising the different structural and organisational contexts across early childhood education and care settings when compared with the primary and secondary school contexts for which the existing standards were written.
Learn more about the review.