44242 (2024). Hon Jan Tinetti to the Associate Minister of Education

44242 (2024). Hon Jan Tinetti to the Associate Minister of Education: Does the Minister agree with Stephanie Mills that there is a potential for conflict of interest with the concentration of ministerial powers in the early childhood regulatory review given the Minister for Regulation and the Associate Minister for Education (Early Childhood Education) are the same person; if not, why not?

Hon David Seymour: No. There is no conflict of interest between my responsibilities as the Minister for Regulation and my responsibilities as Associate Minister for Education. We need a fit-for-purpose regulatory framework for the early childhood sector. In some cases, existing regulation has not been effective at avoiding the harm it was seeking to prevent. There is a need to assess the relevance and impact of regulation with the health, safety and wellbeing of children as the priority. At the end of the year, proposals for changes to regulations that are not up to standard will be put to Cabinet. Any decisions for change will be agreed by Cabinet as a whole, not an individual Minister.