Received

Better sharing of child protection data between borders must happen urgently, the NSW premier says, after a childcare worker was charged with 1623 abuse offences across two states.

Premier Chris Minns said his government was looking at any gaps in the system to strengthen child protection after 23 of the worker's 87 alleged victims were from a Sydney facility.

"The pain is unfathomable for the alleged victims of these horrendous crimes and their families - these alleged crimes," he told state parliament on Wednesday.

Families Minister Kate Washington wanted an immediate meeting of her federal and state counterparts to "demand progress urgently on better information sharing between jurisdictions", Mr Minns said.

The state's oversight of education workers would be examined so any red flags in any sector were visible to other agencies and other jurisdictions.

"I want NSW to lead in this important area of national reform," Mr Minns said.

The independent and Catholic education sectors would be consulted to ensure offenders could not escape scrutiny by hopping between private and public schools.

Queensland says its working with children's check system had worked appropriately in the case of the childcare worker, including when federal police advised the government of the alleged offences.

"The blue card was suspended and employers were notified," Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath said.

"Queensland's Blue Card system is one of, if not the most, stringent in the nation."

The charging of the Gold Coast man came after child abuse photos found by police on the dark web in 2014 were finally traced to a Brisbane childcare centre last year.

The 45-year-old was initially charged with two counts of making child exploitation material and one count of using a carriage service for child pornography material.

A police search of his home uncovered about 4000 images and videos the man had allegedly created and sparked a painstaking process to identify the alleged victims, all prepubescent girls.

"This is one of the most horrific child abuse cases that I've seen in nearly 40 years of policing in NSW,'' NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Michael Fitzgerald said on Tuesday.

The charges include 136 counts of rape and 110 counts of sexual intercourse with a child under 10 allegedly committed across 10 childcare centres in Brisbane, another in Sydney and an overseas location between 2007 and 2022.

Mr Minns lauded federal and state police officers for their forensic work and dedication performing "an unimaginable job".

"While incredibly difficult, the work that these officers have done has no doubt saved countless other children from these horrors," he said.

© AAP 2023

Leaders from both sides of politics have called for better sharing of child protection information after a childcare worker was accused of more than 1000 incidents of abuse across two states.

Federal opposition leader Peter Dutton said he would support the establishment of a national child sex offender registry.

"I do believe that the time has come and there's been much debate about this in recent years," he told parliament on Wednesday.

"The registry may have been one element that could have averted further victims falling at the hands of this individual in relation to the alleged offences that have taken place."

Mr Dutton previously campaigned for the registry as home affairs minister, but some have condemned the proposal as enabling vigilantes.

A spokesman for Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said evidence showed public registers were not effective for keeping kids safe.

"Any measures to keep kids safe from child sexual abuse need to be evidence-based," he said.

The 45-year-old childcare worker faces 1623 charges, including 136 counts of rape and 110 counts of sexual intercourse with a child under 10.

The offences were allegedly committed in Brisbane, Sydney and overseas between 2007 and 2022.

Premier Chris Minns said his government was looking at any gaps in the system to strengthen child protection.

Some 23 of the worker's 87 alleged victims were in Sydney.

"The pain is unfathomable for the alleged victims of these horrendous crimes and their families," Mr Minns said.

The NSW premier called for an immediate meeting of federal and state ministers to urgently improve information-sharing between jurisdictions.

The state's oversight of education workers would be examined so any red flags in any sector were visible to other agencies and other jurisdictions.

"I want NSW to lead in this important area of national reform," Mr Minns said.

Queensland leaders said the state's working-with-children check system had worked appropriately in the case of the childcare worker, including when federal police advised the government of the alleged offences.

Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath said the "blue card" system was among the most stringent in the nation and the man's approval was suspended and employers were notified when officials were notified.

The Gold Coast man's arrest came after child abuse photos found by police on the dark web in 2014 were traced to a Brisbane childcare centre last year.

He was initially charged with two counts of making child exploitation material and one count of using a carriage service for child pornography material.

A police search of his home uncovered about 4000 images and videos the man had allegedly created and sparked a painstaking process to identify the alleged victims, all pre-pubescent girls.

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Michael Fitzgerald said it was one of the most horrific cases he had seen in his 40-year police career and the state would be seeking the man's extradition to face more charges.

© AAP 2023

Housing Minister Julie Collins has vowed to use every method necessary to break a deadlock to set up a multibillion-dollar housing fund.

Ms Collins reintroduced legislation to set up the $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund on Wednesday after the first try at passing the bill was held up in the Senate.

The fund has been blocked by the coalition and Greens, with the minor party demanding an agreement from national cabinet for a rent freeze.

Ms Collins said there could not be any further delays in setting up the fund.

"The Housing Australian Future Fund will be the start of an enduring promise from the Australian government that more Australians will have a safe affordable place to call home," she told parliament.

"Our government has not forgotten that promise.

"The government will use every process available to us to make the case for this important legislation."

The reintroduction of the bill could deliver a double dissolution trigger, should it be blocked a second time later in the year.

Such a trigger gives the prime minister an opportunity to dissolve the lower house and the whole Senate, rather than the usual half, and go to an election.

The housing fund would deliver 30,000 social and affordable homes in its first five years, with 4000 for women and children at risk of domestic violence.

Ms Collins said this would provide certainty for those in need of social and affordable homes, as well as those in the industry.

"The government once again invites this parliament to show its support to deliver more housing for all Australians," she said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he had spoken with Greens leader Adam Bandt at the weekend about the housing fund.

He said the Greens liked the housing fund being unresolved as they wanted to campaign over the issue.

"It's a bizarre position which says you want people to be kept in poverty so that you can have a political campaign," he told ABC radio.

Opposition housing spokesman Michael Sukkar said there was no assurance the money in the fund would be spent on building new homes.

"If a government is going to fund social and affordable housing, it should do so in a guaranteed way," he told ABC TV.

"This is a very convoluted money go round that the government has come up with just to ensure that it is treated in a certain way in the budget."

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the party would meet the government later this week for further negotiations on the bill and she was optimistic.

"But, of course, the prime minister has to stop being so stubborn about this," she told ABC TV.

"His threats over a double (dissolution) ... it's a distraction. It is nonsense."

Property Council of Australia chief executive Mike Zorbas said rent capping, as called for by the Greens, would reduce housing supply.

"The only way that we can fix housing supply in this country is to improve broken state planning systems to set legitimate housing targets across the country," he said.

"Rent control is a sort of toxic magic pudding."

Master Builders Australia chief executive Denita Wawn welcomed the reintroduction of the housing bill.

"There is no silver bullet to the housing crisis, but the HAFF is a vital piece in the housing puzzle," she said.

"It's critical that we address housing affordability and supply instead of prolonging action and allowing further deterioration in the market."

© AAP 2023