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'Serious action': Australian govt pledges reforms after childcare abuse charges
- Joshua Dale Brown was arrested on May 12 and charged with over 70 offences involving eight victims at Victorian childcare centres from 2017 to 2025.
- The arrest followed revelations of prolonged inadequate regulation and calls for reform after Royal Commission recommendations in 2015 went largely unimplemented.
- In response, Victoria launched a rapid review in April, plans a state childcare worker register by August, and banned personal devices in centres to enhance safety.
- Federal Education Minister Jason Clare stated the issue was serious and delayed WWCC reforms "can't happen soon enough," while 2600 families were contacted after Brown’s arrest.
- These events intensified national calls for standardised Working with Children Checks and stronger cooperation among governments to close dangerous loopholes in screening systems.
15 Articles
15 Articles
System Ignored Red Flags Before Child Abuse Scandal in Australian Childcare Centre
As public anger mounts over child abuse allegations at a Melbourne childcare centre, the Victorian Labor Government is facing renewed scrutiny for failing to act on long-standing flaws in the state’s Working With Children Check (WWCC) system. In 2022, the Ombudsman urged the government to strengthen the scheme, recommending legislative changes that would allow authorities to suspend or revoke WWCCs based on risk assessments, even in cases withou…
‘An insult’: Backlash over controversial pick to head childcare inquiry
A former Labor premier who oversaw the worst child protection failure in his state’s history – including a carer being convicted of abusing several pre-schoolers – has been hand-picked by Jacinta Allan to lead the inquiry into Victoria’s childcare sector.
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