Victoria’s Premier Jacinta Allan has announced sweeping changes to the state’s childcare sector, including a ban on personal devices and an urgent safety review, following revelations of a horrifying child abuse case involving more than 70 charges against a former childcare worker.
Joshua Dale Brown, 26, has been charged with multiple counts of sexually abusing babies and toddlers while working at a childcare centre in Point Cook in Melbourne’s west. The charges include sexual penetration of a child under 12, attempted penetration, and the production of child abuse material. The alleged offences relate to eight children, aged between five months and two years, and are believed to have occurred between April 2022 and January 2023.
Brown is reported to have worked at approximately 20 childcare facilities since 2017, prompting health authorities to urge the parents of around 1200 children to have their children tested for infectious diseases as a precaution.
Premier Allan described the allegations as “sickening” and said the state government would move swiftly to protect children and restore public trust.
“Every Victorian was horrified by the sickening allegations that were made public yesterday,” she said.
“Families must be able to trust that their children are safe in childcare. And I will do everything in my power to make sure they can.”
All Victorian childcare centres have been ordered to ban the use of personal devices by staff by Friday 26 September. Centres that fail to comply will face penalties, including potential fines of up to $50,000 and licence conditions.
The Allan Government will also begin building a Victorian register of childcare workers to strengthen checks and balances within the sector, moving ahead of national efforts to establish a similar register.
An urgent independent review into childcare safety in Victoria will be commissioned, with a focus on immediate measures. This includes examining the potential installation of CCTV cameras in centres and evaluating the effectiveness of the current national childcare regulatory framework. The review will report to the government by 15 August, and Allan pledged to adopt every recommendation.
“I want this Victorian review to examine options for installing CCTV in childcare centres… and act faster on any of the measures currently being considered at a national level.”
In recognition of the distress facing affected families, the government will provide a $5,000 Immediate Needs Payment to those referred for precautionary testing. The payment is intended to support families with time off work, alternative childcare arrangements, and mental and physical health appointments.
“This is some practical help at an impossibly difficult time,” the premier said.
Allan also thanked the police, public health teams, and early childhood educators who have been working under immense pressure in the wake of the revelations.
“I know that Victorian parents are feeling angry and deeply distressed by these allegations. I feel that, too,” she said.
“That’s why my government will take every action possible – as soon as possible – to strengthen safety standards in early childhood education and care.”
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