A trial of CCTV cameras in hundreds of childcare centres will be rolled out later this year, while work on a national register of childcare workers will begin within weeks.

Education Minister Jason Clare said the new measures, signed off by federal, state and territory education leaders at a meeting in Sydney on Friday , will help improve the safety of children in childcare.

"This is not a silver bullet, none of this is. None of it is a guarantee. But it is an essential component in what we need to do if we want to keep our children safe," he said.

Up to 300 centres are expected to take part in the CCTV trial that will begin in October or November. It will consider where cameras should be placed within a centre, who holds the data, and how to protect footage to ensure it isn't hacked.

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