Serious incidents reported in childcare services have hit a record high, as data highlights workforce pressures and declining attendance.
Figures released by the Productivity Commission show the rate of serious incidents at National Quality Framework-approved early-childhood education and care services rose to 160 incidents per 100 services in 2024/25.
A reportable "serious incident" under the framework is defined as any event threatening a child's health, safety or wellbeing.
The data shows there was one death of a child in a Victorian centre, and another in a NSW centre in 2024/25.
There were 22,364 recorded instances of injury or illness in Australian centres, and 3128 instances of a child being locked in or out, or being taken away from a centre during this period.
It is the highest level of serious incidents since reporting began in 2016/17, with the rate increasing steadily each year.
There were 18,018 approved early education and childcare services nationally as of June 2025, up from 17,705 the previous year.
Most childcare services operate under the framework.
The report also reveals a decline in staff qualifications and experience in the early childhood sector.
In 2024/25, 75 per cent of paid contact staff held a Certificate III qualification or higher, or had at least three years of relevant experience, down from 82.1 per cent three years earlier.
The report on government services also showed school attendance continued to fall.
The national attendance rate for students in years 7 to 10 in 2025 was 86.5 per cent, a drop of 3.9 percentage points since 2018.
However, vocational education and training outcomes improved, with government-funded VET completions rising to about 354,700 in 2024, up 16.4 per cent since 2020.
VET completions among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people increased by 28 per cent over the same period.
Student satisfaction with VET remained high at 89.5 per cent in 2024, which has gone unchanged since 2020.
