Dozens of childcare centres across Australia have been named for failing to meet safety and quality standards.

The Department of Education said last Friday that compliance actions have been taken against about 30 centres nationwide.

The centres were flagged over long-running breaches — some spanning more than seven years — including unsafe play areas, poor hygiene, and inadequate staff training or supervision.

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A list of 29 centres was released on Wednesday, with 11 in Western Australia, seven in NSW, five in Queensland, four in Victoria, and two in South Australia.

No centres in the ACT, NT or Tasmania were included.

Of the centres listed, 12 were Centre Based Day Care, 10 Family Day Care, and seven Out of School Care.

This is the first federal crackdown since tough new laws passed in July to strengthen regulation of early childhood education.

Each centre will have six months to lift its performance against the National Quality Standards (NQS) or face further penalties, including losing access to the Child Care Subsidy.

The ABC reported more centres will be added to the list.

Education Minister Jason Clare said the move was not about shutting centres down but about “lifting standards up”.

“We have taken action swiftly under the new legislation to begin rebuilding confidence in a system that parents need to have confidence in,” Clare said.

“Over the next six months, these centres will need to lift their game or they will face further consequences including the cutting off of funding.

“This action puts those centres on notice that they need to put the safety of our children first.”