Dozens Quit Bendigo Writers Festival Over Speaker Rules – As Greens Push for Childcare Safety Inquiry
About 30 participants have withdrawn from the Bendigo Writers Festival following backlash over a newly introduced speaker code of conduct. The withdrawals have raised concerns about freedom of expression and the impact of such codes on cultural events.
While the festival faced controversy, a separate issue took center stage in federal politics, with the Greens calling for urgent reforms to protect children in early education settings.
The Greens have announced plans to launch a Senate inquiry into the quality and safety of early childhood education and care as soon as Parliament resumes. The push follows increasing public concern over child safety and recent reports of abuse in some childcare facilities.
Senator Steph Hodgins-May, the Greens’ spokesperson for early childhood education and care, said the long-awaited national Working With Children Check is a step forward—but it’s coming far too late.
“A national Working With Children Check is long overdue. Whilst it’s reassuring to know that this will be in place by the end of the year, frankly, this is a decade after it was recommended by the royal commission,” she said.
She added that real action goes beyond ticking boxes.
“Real action means more than introducing a check a decade after it was recommended. It means tackling for-profit cowboys sidelining quality and care in favour of profit, and a workforce in crisis.”
The Greens say the childcare sector is in urgent need of reform and that action can’t wait for more headlines of abuse to prompt responses from the government.
“We recognise that we cannot keep waiting for these horrific headlines of abuse to take meaningful action,” Hodgins-May said.
She called on the federal government to stop patching the system and instead commit to real, structural change.
“The government must do more than Band-aids. It must sit down with everyone in the parliament willing to prioritise the safety and care of our children and enact meaningful reform to keep our kids safe.”
