‘Children will be abused': Deputy Premier Ben Carroll grilled over Allan government's failure to heed commissioner's dire warning
The Age revealed on Wednesday that former Commissioner Liana Buchanan had been pleading with the state government for years to increase funding for the scheme - which has been frozen since it was set up - warning that the Commission did not have the resources to investigate the skyrocketing number of reports it was receiving.
In submission to a 2022 review of the scheme, the former commissioner laid out what was at stake.
'Without additional funding … children will be abused, or continue to be abused, by a person who would have otherwise been prevented from working with children as a result of the Scheme and the Commission's actions,' the submission states.
Ms Buchanan resigned as Commissioner for Children and Young People in March. Her prediction is back in the spotlight as the Commission failed to act on two substantiated reports against Joshua Dale Brown alleging non-sexual physical aggression against children. Brown is facing charges relating to more than 70 alleged incidents of abuse after working at more than 20 childcare centres across Melbourne.
Deputy Premier Ben Carroll said the alleged abuse carried out by Brown was an 'atrocity' and both the state and commonwealth governments had a 'steadfast' resolve to prevent it ever occurring in the future.
'We've got to make sure that the regulation and the investment is there and it is thorough and transparent, to do everything we can to support people like Liana to do their job the best they can,' he said.
But the Deputy Premier claimed they had increased funding to the Commission for Children and Young People during the period.
Overall funding to the agency was increased by 11 per cent between 2021 and 2024 – a rate lower than inflation – but funding for the Reportable Conduct Scheme has been frozen since it was set up in 2017. The number of reports the Commission received increased by 81 per cent between 2017 and 2023, and then increased 30 per cent the following year.
When this distinction between funding for the scheme and funding for the agency was pointed out to Mr Carroll, the Deputy Premier said the scheme was not solely administered by the Commission, before adding the government would be guided by the review being conducted by former SA Premier Jay Weatherill and senior bureaucrat Pamela White.
'You've got to remember the reportable conduct scheme, it's not just Liana Buchanan ... Victoria Police have a role in it. It is a broad scheme (with incidents) that get reported on, wherever there has been an issue.
'So her office has been funded. They play an integral role in it. But if … we need to do more, we will do more."
Mr Carroll also said Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn always "does everything she can" to advocate for "more funding for the Children's Commissioner".
But when reporters again highlighted the government's failure to heed the multiple warnings from its own Commissioner, the Deputy Premier admitted the 'deeply distressing' alleged abuse could have been prevented.
'This is a fragmented, decentralised system that relies on the end user paying it through Centrelink subsidies. That is why reform at the federal and state level is so critical.
'It has been at arm's length for government for too long, and that is what will happen through the Weatherill review and the work that Minister Blandthorn is doing with Minister (Jason) Clare to make sure that the early childhood sector is reformed and it gets the investment and the regulation and transparency that it needs.'
Shadow Minister for Child Protection Roma Britnell said by ignoring warnings from Ms Buchanan, the government had failed the families and children affected by the recent alleged abuse scandal in the "worst possible way."
"The failures of the Allan Labor government in protecting children have reached a new low. Ignoring warnings from the Children's watchdog and continuing to underfund a safety program designed to ensure allegations of child abuse are acted on quickly and effectively has tragically resulted in the Commission's alleged worst fears," Ms Britnell said.
"The tragedy for the families, children, and all affected ... is that they may have been prevented if the Allan Labor government acted on the warnings of the Children's Commission."
The Shadow Minister also claimed the Allan government was also attempting to "impede investigations by refusing to supply requested information".
"The Liberals and Nationals called for the recall of Parliament to establish a registration system, strengthen the Working With Children Check system, install CCTV where appropriate, and create an independent and strong watchdog for the sector."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
7NEWS
3 days ago
- 7NEWS
Temu accused by EU regulators of failing to prevent sale of illegal products
Chinese online retailer Temu was accused by European Union watchdogs on Monday of failing to prevent the sale of illegal products on its platform. The preliminary findings follow an investigation opened last year under the bloc's Digital Services Act. It's a wide-ranging rulebook that requires online platforms to do more to keep internet users safe, with the threat of hefty fines. The European Commission, the 27-nation bloc's executive branch, said its investigation found 'a high risk for consumers in the EU to encounter illegal products' on Temu's site. Investigators carried out a 'mystery shopping exercise' that found 'non-compliant' products on Temu, including baby toys and small electronics, it said. Temu said in a brief statement that it 'will continue to cooperate fully with the Commission.' The commission didn't specify why exactly the products were illegal but noted that a surge in online sales in the bloc also came with a parallel rise in unsafe or counterfeit goods. EU regulators said when they opened the investigation that they would look into whether Temu was doing enough to crack down on 'rogue traders' selling 'non-compliant goods' amid concerns that they are able to swiftly reappear after being suspended. In its preliminary findings, the Commission found that Temu could have had 'inadequate mitigation measures' because the company was using an 'inaccurate' risk assessment that relied on general industry information, rather than specifics about its own marketplace. 'We shop online because we trust that products sold in our Single Market are safe and comply with our rules,' Henna Virkkunen, the EU's executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy, said in a news release. 'In our preliminary view, Temu is far from assessing risks for its users at the standards required by the Digital Services Act. Temu has grown in popularity by offering cheap goods — from clothing to home products — shipped from sellers in China. The company, owned by Pinduoduo Inc., a popular e-commerce site in China, has 92 million users in the EU. The company will have the chance to examine the Commission's investigation files and respond to the accusations before the EU watchdogs make a final decision. Violations of the DSA could result in fines of up to 6 per cent of a company's annual global revenue and an order to fix the problems.
Sydney Morning Herald
6 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
How The Age covered the biggest stories of the month
To say Victoria has been in the eye of a news cyclone over the past month would imply there was at least a moment of serenity. It began as many families were winding down for school holidays in early July with one of the most confronting stories in recent memory: allegations that childcare worker Joshua Dale Brown was to be charged with sexually abusing babies and toddlers at a centre where he worked. Brown is facing 73 charges, including rape. He faced court this week and the investigation is ongoing. These allegations not only horrified the nation, but triggered serious questions about the nation's child protection systems and what can only be described as the reckless indifference of governments in that space. Noel Towell reported this week on the former commissioner for children and young people's warning three years ago that 'children would be abused' if the Victorian government did not properly fund the Reportable Conduct Scheme that failed to act on red flags raised about the accused paedophile. Our journalists have also looked closely at the investigations into Brown and the conduct of the companies that employed him to work at many facilities around Melbourne. Sherryn Groch, Caroline Schelle and Carla Jaeger – who have covered this saga with sensitivity, clarity and determination – last week revealed that Brown had been fired from at least three childcare centres before he was arrested, and brought to light crucial details of his past that were missed by regulators and childcare providers. Yesterday, Nicole Precel reported that male childcare workers were being turned away from centres in the aftermath of the Brown allegations. Today, Colin Kruger and Elias Visontay examine the corporate history of Affinity, one of the for-profit childcare providers that employed Brown. On July 7, the attention of our subscribers was firmly fixed on a court in Morwell, where Erin Patterson was found guilty of three counts of murder and one of attempted murder, after poisoning her in-laws, the local pastor and his wife with death cap mushrooms hidden in a beef Wellington. Erin Pearson, who tirelessly and meticulously covered the marathon trial for The Age, described an unflinching Patterson as the four guilty verdicts were read out by the jury foreperson. Crime reporter Marta Pascual Juanola was also stationed at Morwell for the trial. Her interview with Dr Chris Webster, who treated the victims after the poisoning, was one of the most compelling pieces published in the aftermath of the verdicts. Photographer Jason South was also there to capture every moment. This story contains a gallery of some of his best work throughout the trial, plus South's telling of how an AFP photographer captured the famous images of Patterson being driven away from the courtroom. Below is one of my favourite pictures from the trial, showing prosecutor Dr Nanette Rogers in this eerie scene. John Silvester was at his analytical best with this piece on how Patterson needed to jump 10 hurdles with her defence and stumbled at every one. And only this morning, Chris Vedelago broke the news of an investigation by the state's Juries Commissioner into the way the jury in the so-called mushroom case was protected from outside influence during its deliberations. Then there were the chaotic and disturbing events of July 4, when police allege 34-year-old Angelo Loras tried to torch an East Melbourne synagogue. On the same night, though there is no suggestion the events are connected, a group of about 20 people stormed into an Israeli restaurant in Hardware Lane, trashing the place and chanting at diners. Groch and Vedelago's look at the group behind it is illuminating. Meanwhile in Greensborough on the same night, a company that manufactures parts for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter used by Israel, as Jaeger reported, was vandalised and cars outside were set alight.
The Age
6 days ago
- The Age
How The Age covered the biggest stories of the month
To say Victoria has been in the eye of a news cyclone over the past month would imply there was at least a moment of serenity. It began as many families were winding down for school holidays in early July with one of the most confronting stories in recent memory: allegations that childcare worker Joshua Dale Brown was to be charged with sexually abusing babies and toddlers at a centre where he worked. Brown is facing 73 charges, including rape. He faced court this week and the investigation is ongoing. These allegations not only horrified the nation, but triggered serious questions about the nation's child protection systems and what can only be described as the reckless indifference of governments in that space. Noel Towell reported this week on the former commissioner for children and young people's warning three years ago that 'children would be abused' if the Victorian government did not properly fund the Reportable Conduct Scheme that failed to act on red flags raised about the accused paedophile. Our journalists have also looked closely at the investigations into Brown and the conduct of the companies that employed him to work at many facilities around Melbourne. Sherryn Groch, Caroline Schelle and Carla Jaeger – who have covered this saga with sensitivity, clarity and determination – last week revealed that Brown had been fired from at least three childcare centres before he was arrested, and brought to light crucial details of his past that were missed by regulators and childcare providers. Yesterday, Nicole Precel reported that male childcare workers were being turned away from centres in the aftermath of the Brown allegations. Today, Colin Kruger and Elias Visontay examine the corporate history of Affinity, one of the for-profit childcare providers that employed Brown. On July 7, the attention of our subscribers was firmly fixed on a court in Morwell, where Erin Patterson was found guilty of three counts of murder and one of attempted murder, after poisoning her in-laws, the local pastor and his wife with death cap mushrooms hidden in a beef Wellington. Erin Pearson, who tirelessly and meticulously covered the marathon trial for The Age, described an unflinching Patterson as the four guilty verdicts were read out by the jury foreperson. Crime reporter Marta Pascual Juanola was also stationed at Morwell for the trial. Her interview with Dr Chris Webster, who treated the victims after the poisoning, was one of the most compelling pieces published in the aftermath of the verdicts. Photographer Jason South was also there to capture every moment. This story contains a gallery of some of his best work throughout the trial, plus South's telling of how an AFP photographer captured the famous images of Patterson being driven away from the courtroom. Below is one of my favourite pictures from the trial, showing prosecutor Dr Nanette Rogers in this eerie scene. John Silvester was at his analytical best with this piece on how Patterson needed to jump 10 hurdles with her defence and stumbled at every one. And only this morning, Chris Vedelago broke the news of an investigation by the state's Juries Commissioner into the way the jury in the so-called mushroom case was protected from outside influence during its deliberations. Then there were the chaotic and disturbing events of July 4, when police allege 34-year-old Angelo Loras tried to torch an East Melbourne synagogue. On the same night, though there is no suggestion the events are connected, a group of about 20 people stormed into an Israeli restaurant in Hardware Lane, trashing the place and chanting at diners. Groch and Vedelago's look at the group behind it is illuminating. Meanwhile in Greensborough on the same night, a company that manufactures parts for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter used by Israel, as Jaeger reported, was vandalised and cars outside were set alight.
