Worse than every parent's worst nightmare, but here's one big thing to keep kids safe
For anyone who has ever entrusted their child to a daycare centre – or is one of the vast majority of early childhood educators who show up every day to give children the best possible start in life – this news is sickening, heartbreaking, frightening and deeply unsettling. People are asking: how could this happen? How can we ensure this never happens again?
These are critical and urgent questions. And while state and federal governments have announced or floated several measures – from banning mobile phones to improving working-with-children checks and installing CCTV – we must recognise that there is something bigger at stake.
Because this alleged crime is not just a one-off failure. It's a systemic warning – a wake-up call that demands better leadership, stronger oversight and more accountability.
The early-learning sector in Australia has expanded rapidly in recent decades. That's a good thing. High-quality early-childhood education benefits children for life and is essential infrastructure that enables families and communities to function. But while the sector has grown, regulation and stewardship have lagged behind.
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The expansion has largely been market-led, with for-profit providers driving much of the growth. Many deliver quality but we cannot ignore the growing influence of business models that are incentivised to put profit ahead of children. The result? Too many services are understaffed, under-supported and under pressure to cut corners. That's a dangerous mix.
Meanwhile, not-for-profit and community-run services, which are deeply rooted in local communities and more consistently deliver excellent outcomes, are increasingly being squeezed out. If we are serious about safety and quality, we need to support these providers – and make sure every new investment strengthens the sector, not fragment it further.
We already have a strong foundation: Australia's National Quality Framework is world-leading. We know what high-quality education and care looks like. But standards alone are not enough. For them to mean anything, they must be backed by well-funded regulators, clear accountability and consequences when things go wrong.
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Sky News AU
7 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Former South Australian premier Jay Weatherill picked to co-lead Victoria childcare review following shock alleged child sex crimes revelations
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Courier-Mail
9 hours ago
- Courier-Mail
G8 Education crashes after Joshua Brown allegations
Don't miss out on the headlines from Breaking News. Followed categories will be added to My News. The company that operates the Point Cook childcare centre at the heart of Victoria's alleged child sex abuse horror is crashing in value, losing some $120m in the market since Tuesday. G8 Education, a listed company on the ASX, has declined some 16 per cent since Tuesday's revelation that Joshua Brown, a childcare worker at the company's Creative Garden Point Cook centre, allegedly sexually abused eight children aged from five months to two years. The decline has wiped out about $120m in market value as investors flee the company. On Thursday, investment bank Macquarie downgraded its 12-month price target for the stock to $1.15 from $1.53, citing the Point Cook incident. G8 slumped 7 per cent across the day and traded for just $1 at 3.30pm for a market capitalisation of some $765m. In a statement from Tuesday, the company acknowledged that a 'former G8 Education team member' had been charged with offences involving children. 'The current charges against the former team member are in relation to offences involving children at Creative Garden Point Cook only,' the company said. Stock in G8 Education has fallen 15 per cent since Tuesday. Picture: Supplied 'These allegations are serious in nature and are extremely distressing. 'We are focused on supporting all those impacted not just at our centres but across the community. 'Aligned with G8 Education's commitment to child safety and protection, during the former team member's employment, all required employment and background checks, including working with children checks, were current in accordance with legal and regulatory requirements … we are co-operating fully with Victoria Police, the Victorian government and other relevant authorities as part of the investigation.' The company added that it had 'no tolerance' for behaviour that compromised the safety or wellbeing of children. 'As this is now a legal matter, we are unable to comment further on the specifics of the case,' the company said. G8 operates more than 400 centres across the country. For the 2024 calendar year, the company reported $1.021bn in revenues and net profits of $67.7m. G8 has struggled across 2025, even before this week's dramatic tumble. Year-to-date, shares in the company are down about 25 per cent. Alleged child sex abuser Joshua Brown worked at a G8 Education centre. Picture Supplied., Police have charged Michael Simon Wilson with raping a teenage boy. Picture: Supplied On Tuesday, Victorian Police revealed they had charged Mr Brown, 26, with 70 offences after he allegedly abused eight children at the centre. It is alleged some children were as young as five months. A widespread investigation has now been launched, with Victoria's chief health officer saying 1200 children have been recommended to undergo infectious diseases testing. Mr Brown was arrested on May 12 and is due to appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court on September 15. Police allege Mr Brown worked at 20 centres across the state between January 2017 and May 2025. A second man known to Mr Brown, Michael Simon Wilson, has also been charged with child sex offences. On Wednesday afternoon, Victorian Police revealed Mr Wilson was a 36-year-old man from Hoppers Crossing. He has been charged with raping a teenage boy, possessing child abuse material, and bestiality. Federal Education Minister Jason Clare has pledged urgent reform in the wake of Tuesday's allegations. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short Mr Wilson's alleged offences are not believed to involve childcare centres or any of Mr Brown's alleged victims. The allegations against Mr Brown and Mr Wilson have rocked the country. Education Minister Jason Clare, speaking on Wednesday, promised urgent reforms into child safety, including cutting off funding for centres that fail to meet minimum standards. He also flagged changes to background checks for workers. 'It's taken too long to do the work necessary to make sure that our Working with Children Check system is up to scratch,' he said. 'In too many examples, a perpetrator is eventually caught and arrested and sentenced, there's somebody that got a Working with Children Check because they had no prior criminal record,' he said. Originally published as Stock in G8 Education declines 15 per cent on Joshua Brown allegations
West Australian
9 hours ago
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EDITORIAL: Terrible truth about childcare system revealed
To say the abuse which is alleged to have occurred at a Victorian childcare centre is every parent's nightmare barely scratches the surface of the horror and distress now felt by more than 1000 families around Melbourne. Even the most anxious of parents would struggle to come up with a scenario this wicked. A 26-year-old childcare worker has been charged with 70 child sex abuse offences relating to kids left in his care. Some of his alleged victims were just five months old. The families of more than 1200 children are now awaiting to find out if their child has been infected with sexually transmitted diseases. Dozens more child sex abuse charges have been laid against a second man, an associate of the first, though these charges relate to the alleged assault of a teenage boy, and do not involve a childcare centre. Parents — and the rest of us around the country who share their fear for their children's safety — have been left to ask: how on earth did this happen? Millions of Australians have experienced the anxiety that comes with dropping a beloved child off at daycare for the first time. For many of parents, that first day is the longest they've ever been separated from their son or daughter. That small act requires a giant leap of faith. Parents need to be able to trust that the workers to whom they are handing over their child is irreproachable in character; that they will provide them with the very best of care. Otherwise, how could they do it? This case threatens to destroy that trust on which the whole system relies. It has revealed the terrible truth about our nation's childcare system, which is that far from having a cohesive structure, it is a hodge-podge of State-based systems in which critical information would could prevent child abusers from gaining access to more victims can be lost at the border. There is no national system for Working with Children Checks. Each State assesses workers differently, meaning that workers who have failed to get accreditation in one jurisdiction are free to try their luck in another. And eight years after the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Australia still does not have a set of national minimum child safety standards. Australia has mandatory safety standards for bicycle helmets, for occy straps, for chests of drawers and for basketball backboards. But not for the safety of our society's most vulnerable members while in care. The case also revealed deficiencies in employee recordkeeping. The man at the centre of the allegations worked at 20 childcare facilities between 2017 and May. Tracking them all down was a slog, because there is still no register on which that information is kept. Few families today have the luxury of having one parent at home to look after the children. Parents have no choice but to head back to work, and that means they have to entrust the most precious part of their world to others. They need to be able to know for certain that the care their child is provided is of the highest standard. Responsibility for the editorial comment is taken by Editor-in-Chief Christopher Dore.
