Grim reality of Australia's child sex abuse is laid bare
The man dubbed perhaps Australia's worst pedophile had 'met all requirements to obtain and maintain a Blue Card' – the state's working with children check system – until his arrest on 1623 charges of child abuse.
'The Blue Card system is not designed to collect information on early indicators of harm or to identify patterns over time and across organisations, particularly where complaints about a person have been investigated and found to be unsubstantiated due to a lack of evidence,' the report said.
The implementation of a reportable conduct scheme in Queensland will commence in 2026 and it is hoped will improve the collation and sharing of this type of information.
This week, amid allegations another childcare worker, Joshua Dale Brown, has sexually abused children in Victoria, some of those observations are important to revisit.
The childcare worker has been charged but is yet to face trial.
The 26-year-old is accused of abusing eight young children between April 2022 and January 2023 and his work at 20 centres across Victoria has sparked the testing of more than 1200 children for sexually transmitted infections out of 'an abundance of caution'.
Parents and grandparents around Australia are understandably distressed and in shock over the latest allegations that centre on the new childcare worker in Victoria.
On Channel 9, TV host Sylvia Jeffries, a mother of young children, broke down in tears insisting that fixing the problem should be the federal government's highest priority.
The tricky part, however, is working out what works and finding the reforms that will make a real difference.
It's a big question: how do you stop the sexual abuse of children which has occurred in Australia and around the world for centuries, long before the advent of mobile phones?
It is also a grim reality that pedophiles are always going to try to seek employment where they have access to children, whether that's at the local footy club or a kindergarten.
Consider this. Two years ago, the first nationally representative research into the prevalence of child sexual offending behaviours and attitudes revealed one in five Australian men reported sexual feelings towards children and one in 10 of those surveyed admitted they had abused children.
Of the men who reported sexual feelings, 29.6 per cent wanted help. That's around 4.5 per cent of Australian men.
It's a potent reminder that any reform options for the childcare sector need to look more closely about prevention, not simply how to strengthen the existing system.
But there are a multitude of issues to be tackled.
According to the report by the Queensland Child Death Review Board, there were also fears that concerns about defamation and other legal risks may deter individuals from raising concerns within the childcare sector.
As is the case for sexual crimes against women and children, Queensland police also noted 'the high evidentiary threshold' for prosecution.
'Officers must be satisfied there is sufficient evidence to prove a matter beyond reasonable doubt. This is especially difficult for young children who may not be able to talk or have a limited vocabulary,' the progress report said.
There were also big concerns around how to track staff when the sector is so highly casualised, along with the 'robustness' of referee checks.
'Unclear information-sharing processes and a fear of privacy breaches may also create an environment where early indicators of potential harm are minimised,'' the report found.
'This impacts the system's capacity to detect child sexual abuse, including by identifying patterns over time and across services.'
The reality, of course, is that the vast majority of childcare centres and childcare workers are hardworking and caring educators who, in most cases, have been historically underpaid.
But big changes that have been long delayed are being rolled out.
Victorian childcare workers are now set to be banned from having their personal devices on them in centres across the state, under new government reforms.
The ban on personal devices could be rolled out nationally. In the case of Ashley Paul Griffith, many of his crimes were captured in disturbing videos and photos.
It is a grim thought that without these videos, police may never have had the evidence to convict him of his horrific crimes.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
The sooner we close for-profit childcare centres, the better
Is it safe to take my grandchildren to childcare? Is it? What are the odds of them becoming victims of sex abuse at the hands of a predator? I don't care what the odds are. There should be no chance that we take children to daycare and they will be violated. Penetrated. Poisoned. Victims of utter perversion. We shouldn't have to hear weeks, months, years, later that our babies - babies, toddlers - must be tested for chlamydia and gonorrhea. We shouldn't have to hear weeks, months, years later that they may bear scars of trauma we did not even know about. That we couldn't possibly know about. This week, we learned that 26-year-old Melbourne man Joshua Dale Brown is charged with abusing eight children at different centres in Melbourne. Some of them were as young as five months old. He is alleged to have abused them, filmed them. He worked at 20 centres. 20 centres. He allegedly did it over years, and the alleged abuse was only just discovered. This is an absolute disgrace. And the sooner we close all childcare centres which are run for-profit, the better. Get Affinity out of the sector. It was home to nine of the 20 centres where the alleged sex offender worked. Where was he working when these charges were laid? A G8 centre, also for-profit, and God knows how many kids he may have harmed before his alleged abuse was discovered. Did you know that the text message asking parents to test their kids for sexually transmitted infections was sent to 1200 parents? How would you manage if you got that text message yourself? Brown is obviously innocent until proven guilty, but the mere fact that someone who has worked in the childcare industry for a lengthy period is accused of such horrific crimes going back some years raises real questions about the operation of the sector. I would not normally interview another journalist, but I called Adele Ferguson, a Gold Walkley award winner who has now turned her focus on childcare. Thank God. She revealed horrific images of a baby being slapped repeatedly by "carers", also an Affinity centre. Those utter vermin filmed the incident and laughed. She told us about the centre owner who kept children on a bus during a quality inspection. And what does she say about who should run childcare in this country? It should be publicly funded, not-for-profit. "It should be about learning and socialisation and not profit," she says. The continued domination of the private sector in childcare has led to a serious misalignment of values. Instead of thinking about what's best for children, owners of these centres think about what's best for their shareholders, says Ferguson. This. Must. Stop. Can we seize what might be called the means of production of labour power? Those are the places where we learn the skills to contribute to society. Invaluable institutions which need to be protected. They are not protected right now. I asked Caroline Croser-Barlow, former senior public servant and now CEO of The Front Project, which focuses on early childhood systems, if we should ban all commercial investment in childcare. Anything is possible, she says, but it would be an enormous enterprise worth billions of dollars. "Is the safety of our children more likely to be in good hands if we did that? Probably," she says. "That's worth thinking about." More. Likely. To. Be. In. Good. Hands. That should be enough, shouldn't it? We don't see schools sold off to be run by private equity, do we? Mind you, the Albanese government's appetite for socialism isn't huge. So if we can't buy out every for-profit provider (even though we should), what other suggestions does Croser-Barlow have? "You don't have to socialise to get increased not-for-profit provision - but I understand the impulse which is to say profit dynamics are impacting on the safety and quality of provision." And here's when she kills me: "It is true to say that, on average, that taken as a whole, a not-for-profit provider is more likely to be high quality than a for-profit provider and a not-for-profit provider is more likely to be providing a service to disadvantaged cohorts than are for-profit providers." I see that there is a campaign by some that men should not be allowed in childcare centres. Look, there is a lot wrong with modern men. They are responsible for most of the horrific violence in this country and they definitely need urgent help away from their barbaric practices and behaviours. But in this case, it's allowing our babies to become commodities, their care bought and sold for profit. How tight can you keep your food budget? How many lies can you tell to make it look like you have enough educators to care for the number of children at your centre? And why not pay a pathetic amount to the casual who barely has qualifications instead of hiring experienced educators. One former childcare worker tells me that children are often left alone with one educator and that the workforce is massively casualised (which has an impact on the kids). And she reminds me that most child sex abuse is perpetrated by someone the children know, often in their family. The Albanese government did a lot to improve conditions for childcare educators - but now we need much more regulation, we need policing. We need to shut down centres which don't comply. And I swear to God, seize any profits made by centres where serious breaches happen. READ MORE JENNA PRICE: Georgie Dent, CEO of The Parenthood, has some very good advice for the government. We urgently need clarification around who is responsible for what in early childhood education and care. We must stop the fragmentation which makes it so easy for a predator to slide between one centre and the next. The Parenthood and so many others are calling for a National Early Childhood Commission to oversee all of it. Strict reporting lines. Ensure quality. Assure quality. Tough regulatory settings. "We need a far more direct relationship between funding and the required outcomes," says Dent. And the most required outcome? The absolute safety and sanctity of all children. Is it safe to take my grandchildren to childcare? Is it? What are the odds of them becoming victims of sex abuse at the hands of a predator? I don't care what the odds are. There should be no chance that we take children to daycare and they will be violated. Penetrated. Poisoned. Victims of utter perversion. We shouldn't have to hear weeks, months, years, later that our babies - babies, toddlers - must be tested for chlamydia and gonorrhea. We shouldn't have to hear weeks, months, years later that they may bear scars of trauma we did not even know about. That we couldn't possibly know about. This week, we learned that 26-year-old Melbourne man Joshua Dale Brown is charged with abusing eight children at different centres in Melbourne. Some of them were as young as five months old. He is alleged to have abused them, filmed them. He worked at 20 centres. 20 centres. He allegedly did it over years, and the alleged abuse was only just discovered. This is an absolute disgrace. And the sooner we close all childcare centres which are run for-profit, the better. Get Affinity out of the sector. It was home to nine of the 20 centres where the alleged sex offender worked. Where was he working when these charges were laid? A G8 centre, also for-profit, and God knows how many kids he may have harmed before his alleged abuse was discovered. Did you know that the text message asking parents to test their kids for sexually transmitted infections was sent to 1200 parents? How would you manage if you got that text message yourself? Brown is obviously innocent until proven guilty, but the mere fact that someone who has worked in the childcare industry for a lengthy period is accused of such horrific crimes going back some years raises real questions about the operation of the sector. I would not normally interview another journalist, but I called Adele Ferguson, a Gold Walkley award winner who has now turned her focus on childcare. Thank God. She revealed horrific images of a baby being slapped repeatedly by "carers", also an Affinity centre. Those utter vermin filmed the incident and laughed. She told us about the centre owner who kept children on a bus during a quality inspection. And what does she say about who should run childcare in this country? It should be publicly funded, not-for-profit. "It should be about learning and socialisation and not profit," she says. The continued domination of the private sector in childcare has led to a serious misalignment of values. Instead of thinking about what's best for children, owners of these centres think about what's best for their shareholders, says Ferguson. This. Must. Stop. Can we seize what might be called the means of production of labour power? Those are the places where we learn the skills to contribute to society. Invaluable institutions which need to be protected. They are not protected right now. I asked Caroline Croser-Barlow, former senior public servant and now CEO of The Front Project, which focuses on early childhood systems, if we should ban all commercial investment in childcare. Anything is possible, she says, but it would be an enormous enterprise worth billions of dollars. "Is the safety of our children more likely to be in good hands if we did that? Probably," she says. "That's worth thinking about." More. Likely. To. Be. In. Good. Hands. That should be enough, shouldn't it? We don't see schools sold off to be run by private equity, do we? Mind you, the Albanese government's appetite for socialism isn't huge. So if we can't buy out every for-profit provider (even though we should), what other suggestions does Croser-Barlow have? "You don't have to socialise to get increased not-for-profit provision - but I understand the impulse which is to say profit dynamics are impacting on the safety and quality of provision." And here's when she kills me: "It is true to say that, on average, that taken as a whole, a not-for-profit provider is more likely to be high quality than a for-profit provider and a not-for-profit provider is more likely to be providing a service to disadvantaged cohorts than are for-profit providers." I see that there is a campaign by some that men should not be allowed in childcare centres. Look, there is a lot wrong with modern men. They are responsible for most of the horrific violence in this country and they definitely need urgent help away from their barbaric practices and behaviours. But in this case, it's allowing our babies to become commodities, their care bought and sold for profit. How tight can you keep your food budget? How many lies can you tell to make it look like you have enough educators to care for the number of children at your centre? And why not pay a pathetic amount to the casual who barely has qualifications instead of hiring experienced educators. One former childcare worker tells me that children are often left alone with one educator and that the workforce is massively casualised (which has an impact on the kids). And she reminds me that most child sex abuse is perpetrated by someone the children know, often in their family. The Albanese government did a lot to improve conditions for childcare educators - but now we need much more regulation, we need policing. We need to shut down centres which don't comply. And I swear to God, seize any profits made by centres where serious breaches happen. READ MORE JENNA PRICE: Georgie Dent, CEO of The Parenthood, has some very good advice for the government. We urgently need clarification around who is responsible for what in early childhood education and care. We must stop the fragmentation which makes it so easy for a predator to slide between one centre and the next. The Parenthood and so many others are calling for a National Early Childhood Commission to oversee all of it. Strict reporting lines. Ensure quality. Assure quality. Tough regulatory settings. "We need a far more direct relationship between funding and the required outcomes," says Dent. And the most required outcome? The absolute safety and sanctity of all children. Is it safe to take my grandchildren to childcare? Is it? What are the odds of them becoming victims of sex abuse at the hands of a predator? I don't care what the odds are. There should be no chance that we take children to daycare and they will be violated. Penetrated. Poisoned. Victims of utter perversion. We shouldn't have to hear weeks, months, years, later that our babies - babies, toddlers - must be tested for chlamydia and gonorrhea. We shouldn't have to hear weeks, months, years later that they may bear scars of trauma we did not even know about. That we couldn't possibly know about. This week, we learned that 26-year-old Melbourne man Joshua Dale Brown is charged with abusing eight children at different centres in Melbourne. Some of them were as young as five months old. He is alleged to have abused them, filmed them. He worked at 20 centres. 20 centres. He allegedly did it over years, and the alleged abuse was only just discovered. This is an absolute disgrace. And the sooner we close all childcare centres which are run for-profit, the better. Get Affinity out of the sector. It was home to nine of the 20 centres where the alleged sex offender worked. Where was he working when these charges were laid? A G8 centre, also for-profit, and God knows how many kids he may have harmed before his alleged abuse was discovered. Did you know that the text message asking parents to test their kids for sexually transmitted infections was sent to 1200 parents? How would you manage if you got that text message yourself? Brown is obviously innocent until proven guilty, but the mere fact that someone who has worked in the childcare industry for a lengthy period is accused of such horrific crimes going back some years raises real questions about the operation of the sector. I would not normally interview another journalist, but I called Adele Ferguson, a Gold Walkley award winner who has now turned her focus on childcare. Thank God. She revealed horrific images of a baby being slapped repeatedly by "carers", also an Affinity centre. Those utter vermin filmed the incident and laughed. She told us about the centre owner who kept children on a bus during a quality inspection. And what does she say about who should run childcare in this country? It should be publicly funded, not-for-profit. "It should be about learning and socialisation and not profit," she says. The continued domination of the private sector in childcare has led to a serious misalignment of values. Instead of thinking about what's best for children, owners of these centres think about what's best for their shareholders, says Ferguson. This. Must. Stop. Can we seize what might be called the means of production of labour power? Those are the places where we learn the skills to contribute to society. Invaluable institutions which need to be protected. They are not protected right now. I asked Caroline Croser-Barlow, former senior public servant and now CEO of The Front Project, which focuses on early childhood systems, if we should ban all commercial investment in childcare. Anything is possible, she says, but it would be an enormous enterprise worth billions of dollars. "Is the safety of our children more likely to be in good hands if we did that? Probably," she says. "That's worth thinking about." More. Likely. To. Be. In. Good. Hands. That should be enough, shouldn't it? We don't see schools sold off to be run by private equity, do we? Mind you, the Albanese government's appetite for socialism isn't huge. So if we can't buy out every for-profit provider (even though we should), what other suggestions does Croser-Barlow have? "You don't have to socialise to get increased not-for-profit provision - but I understand the impulse which is to say profit dynamics are impacting on the safety and quality of provision." And here's when she kills me: "It is true to say that, on average, that taken as a whole, a not-for-profit provider is more likely to be high quality than a for-profit provider and a not-for-profit provider is more likely to be providing a service to disadvantaged cohorts than are for-profit providers." I see that there is a campaign by some that men should not be allowed in childcare centres. Look, there is a lot wrong with modern men. They are responsible for most of the horrific violence in this country and they definitely need urgent help away from their barbaric practices and behaviours. But in this case, it's allowing our babies to become commodities, their care bought and sold for profit. How tight can you keep your food budget? How many lies can you tell to make it look like you have enough educators to care for the number of children at your centre? And why not pay a pathetic amount to the casual who barely has qualifications instead of hiring experienced educators. One former childcare worker tells me that children are often left alone with one educator and that the workforce is massively casualised (which has an impact on the kids). And she reminds me that most child sex abuse is perpetrated by someone the children know, often in their family. The Albanese government did a lot to improve conditions for childcare educators - but now we need much more regulation, we need policing. We need to shut down centres which don't comply. And I swear to God, seize any profits made by centres where serious breaches happen. READ MORE JENNA PRICE: Georgie Dent, CEO of The Parenthood, has some very good advice for the government. We urgently need clarification around who is responsible for what in early childhood education and care. We must stop the fragmentation which makes it so easy for a predator to slide between one centre and the next. The Parenthood and so many others are calling for a National Early Childhood Commission to oversee all of it. Strict reporting lines. Ensure quality. Assure quality. Tough regulatory settings. "We need a far more direct relationship between funding and the required outcomes," says Dent. And the most required outcome? The absolute safety and sanctity of all children. Is it safe to take my grandchildren to childcare? Is it? What are the odds of them becoming victims of sex abuse at the hands of a predator? I don't care what the odds are. There should be no chance that we take children to daycare and they will be violated. Penetrated. Poisoned. Victims of utter perversion. We shouldn't have to hear weeks, months, years, later that our babies - babies, toddlers - must be tested for chlamydia and gonorrhea. We shouldn't have to hear weeks, months, years later that they may bear scars of trauma we did not even know about. That we couldn't possibly know about. This week, we learned that 26-year-old Melbourne man Joshua Dale Brown is charged with abusing eight children at different centres in Melbourne. Some of them were as young as five months old. He is alleged to have abused them, filmed them. He worked at 20 centres. 20 centres. He allegedly did it over years, and the alleged abuse was only just discovered. This is an absolute disgrace. And the sooner we close all childcare centres which are run for-profit, the better. Get Affinity out of the sector. It was home to nine of the 20 centres where the alleged sex offender worked. Where was he working when these charges were laid? A G8 centre, also for-profit, and God knows how many kids he may have harmed before his alleged abuse was discovered. Did you know that the text message asking parents to test their kids for sexually transmitted infections was sent to 1200 parents? How would you manage if you got that text message yourself? Brown is obviously innocent until proven guilty, but the mere fact that someone who has worked in the childcare industry for a lengthy period is accused of such horrific crimes going back some years raises real questions about the operation of the sector. I would not normally interview another journalist, but I called Adele Ferguson, a Gold Walkley award winner who has now turned her focus on childcare. Thank God. She revealed horrific images of a baby being slapped repeatedly by "carers", also an Affinity centre. Those utter vermin filmed the incident and laughed. She told us about the centre owner who kept children on a bus during a quality inspection. And what does she say about who should run childcare in this country? It should be publicly funded, not-for-profit. "It should be about learning and socialisation and not profit," she says. The continued domination of the private sector in childcare has led to a serious misalignment of values. Instead of thinking about what's best for children, owners of these centres think about what's best for their shareholders, says Ferguson. This. Must. Stop. Can we seize what might be called the means of production of labour power? Those are the places where we learn the skills to contribute to society. Invaluable institutions which need to be protected. They are not protected right now. I asked Caroline Croser-Barlow, former senior public servant and now CEO of The Front Project, which focuses on early childhood systems, if we should ban all commercial investment in childcare. Anything is possible, she says, but it would be an enormous enterprise worth billions of dollars. "Is the safety of our children more likely to be in good hands if we did that? Probably," she says. "That's worth thinking about." More. Likely. To. Be. In. Good. Hands. That should be enough, shouldn't it? We don't see schools sold off to be run by private equity, do we? Mind you, the Albanese government's appetite for socialism isn't huge. So if we can't buy out every for-profit provider (even though we should), what other suggestions does Croser-Barlow have? "You don't have to socialise to get increased not-for-profit provision - but I understand the impulse which is to say profit dynamics are impacting on the safety and quality of provision." And here's when she kills me: "It is true to say that, on average, that taken as a whole, a not-for-profit provider is more likely to be high quality than a for-profit provider and a not-for-profit provider is more likely to be providing a service to disadvantaged cohorts than are for-profit providers." I see that there is a campaign by some that men should not be allowed in childcare centres. Look, there is a lot wrong with modern men. They are responsible for most of the horrific violence in this country and they definitely need urgent help away from their barbaric practices and behaviours. But in this case, it's allowing our babies to become commodities, their care bought and sold for profit. How tight can you keep your food budget? How many lies can you tell to make it look like you have enough educators to care for the number of children at your centre? And why not pay a pathetic amount to the casual who barely has qualifications instead of hiring experienced educators. One former childcare worker tells me that children are often left alone with one educator and that the workforce is massively casualised (which has an impact on the kids). And she reminds me that most child sex abuse is perpetrated by someone the children know, often in their family. The Albanese government did a lot to improve conditions for childcare educators - but now we need much more regulation, we need policing. We need to shut down centres which don't comply. And I swear to God, seize any profits made by centres where serious breaches happen. READ MORE JENNA PRICE: Georgie Dent, CEO of The Parenthood, has some very good advice for the government. We urgently need clarification around who is responsible for what in early childhood education and care. We must stop the fragmentation which makes it so easy for a predator to slide between one centre and the next. The Parenthood and so many others are calling for a National Early Childhood Commission to oversee all of it. Strict reporting lines. Ensure quality. Assure quality. Tough regulatory settings. "We need a far more direct relationship between funding and the required outcomes," says Dent. And the most required outcome? The absolute safety and sanctity of all children.

News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
McDonald's rejected from affluent Sydney suburb
One of Sydney's affluent Northern Beaches suburbs has said no to the golden arches, with a contentious proposal to build a McDonald's in Balgowlah shut down amid concerns of anti-social behaviour and congestion on an-already bustling road. The plan to build the restaurant – which would operate from 5am to midnight – at 37 Roseberry Street, was unanimously rejected by the Northern Beaches Local Planning Panel (NBLPP) on Wednesday. In its decision, the panel highlighted existing congestion in the area – which is home to businesses, dwellings and the Manly Vale B-Line bus stop, stating: 'The application has not demonstrated the proposed development will not have unreasonable impacts on the already congested surrounding road network'. It also pointed out 'incidents of anti-social behaviour in the vicinity recorded by police' – who have raised concerns the restaurant could make matters worse. In its submission to Northern Beaches Council, police said they had 'some reservations' about the restaurant – which was originally proposed to be open 24 hours a day – stating it 'may contribute to an increase in crime and anti-social behaviour, particularly at night unless adequate security measures are implemented'. 'Given the 24-hour operating model, this development has the potential to attract increased levels of crime, anti-social behaviour, and public safety concerns, particularly during late-night and early-morning trading periods,' police said in the report. Police also noted a comparable existing 24-hour McDonald's located nearby recorded 58 incidents over the last 24 months, including assaults, burglaries and malicious damage. Within the vicinity of the proposed Roseberry Street site, police recorded a total of 112 incidents over the past 24 months. 'The introduction of a 24-hour fast-food venue at this location has the potential to exacerbate these incident categories, particularly in relation to assaults, anti-social behaviour, and property damage at night, if reasonable mitigation strategies are not implemented.' McDonald's had originally proposed redeveloping the site – which is currently occupied by the Seven Miles Coffee Roasters plant, head office and cafe – and opening the restaurant for 24 hours a day, seven days a week in an almost $4 million Development Application lodged to the council in February. However, the hours were later scaled back to 5am to midnight, seven days a week amid community backlash. A community petition calling on officials to 'Say NO' to McDonald's was launched in February. At the time of publication, it had attracted over 3,000 signatures, with supporters raising concerns about traffic congestion and potential crime, as well as noise and rubbish pollution. 'We are calling for a rejection of the application … and to consider the cumulative impact of fast-food outlets on our neighbourhood's environment and character,' Petition creator Sarah Garland said, as per The Courier Mail. Prior to the proposal's rejection, McDonald's told the publication last month, the restaurant would 'create more than 100 new local jobs and represents an investment of more than $3.9m into the community'. contacted McDonald's for comment however a statement was not provided prior to publishing. Plans for Redfern McDonald's scrapped It comes after plans for a 24-hour Macca's in the inner Sydney suburb of Redfern were scrapped following uproar from local residents and police earlier this year. The $3 million development plan for a two-storey restaurant on the area's main dining and shopping strip, Redfern Street, was blocked in a unanimous vote by the local planning panel at a City of Sydney council meeting in May. Police and local residents fought to stop the proposal, warning it would lead to a spike in theft and violent crime at night, and be a step backwards for the suburb. A request by a McDonald's representative for a six-week extension to try and resolve locals' concerns was also denied during the meeting, with one panel member suggesting those attempts would be like putting 'lipstick on what the community submissions largely believe to be a pig'. The local planning panel conceded that the development proposal 'has not adequately addressed crime prevention'.

The Australian
3 hours ago
- The Australian
Arncliffe, Sydney: Boy, 14, dies after falling from e-bike
A boy has died after he fell from an e-bike, NSW Police have confirmed. Emergency services were called to Broe Ave in Arncliffe, near Sydney Airport, about 2.45pm on Thursday following reports a rider had fallen from an e-bike. When police arrived they found a 14-year old boy with serious injuries. Paramedics treated him at the scene and rushed him to Sydney Children's Hospital in a critical condition, but NSW Police confirmed he in the evening he had died in hospital. Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers. More to come. Read related topics: Sydney Airport