Latest news with #LianaBuchanan
Sky News AU
an hour ago
- Sky News AU
‘Children will be abused': Deputy Premier Ben Carroll grilled over Allan government's failure to heed commissioner's dire warning
Deputy Premier Ben Carroll has been grilled by journalists after it was revealed the state's former Commissioner for Children and Young People had issued a dire warning about the failure to adequately fund the state's Reportable Conduct Scheme. 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."
Sydney Morning Herald
2 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Critical' children's commissioner role must be filled urgently
The state Labor government says there is an 'urgency' to filling the 'critical' role of Commissioner for Children and Young People, which sat vacant for more than three months before Victoria's most serious childcare safety crisis erupted. Deputy Premier Ben Carroll confirmed on Thursday that the 'rapid review' underway into the childcare sector in the state would look into the government's failure to heed the warnings on child sexual abuse sounded by former Commissioner Liana Buchanan over several years. This masthead revealed on Wednesday that former children's commissioner Liana Buchanan had long predicted in her warnings to government that the continued underfunding of a vital oversight scheme administered by the Commission for Children and Young People (CCYP) would result in the abuse of children. Loading Red flags over the man at the centre of the scandal, Joshua Dale Brown, of substantiated allegations that he acted violently toward children in his care, were reported to the Reportable Conduct Scheme for review but were not escalated to a suspension of his working with children check. Brown now stands accused of abusing eight preschoolers at a Point Cook childcare centre in 2022 and 2023, with more allegations being investigated in a case that has prompted authorities to call for more than 2000 children to be tested for sexually transmitted infections. Responding on Wednesday morning to the fresh revelations, Carroll, who is also minister for education, said the 'rapid review' led by former South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill, will 'look at everything'. 'My understanding is that they will look at everything,' Carroll said. Loading 'Lizzie Blandthorn, the Minister for children, the Premier, have all said we're going to implement all the recommendations, and if it does include changes to the system around families, children, the reportable conduct scheme, for example, yes, certainly we'll accept those recommendations and make those changes.'
The Age
2 hours ago
- The Age
‘Critical' children's commissioner role must be filled urgently
The state Labor government says there is an 'urgency' to filling the 'critical' role of Commissioner for Children and Young People, which sat vacant for more than three months before Victoria's most serious childcare safety crisis erupted. Deputy Premier Ben Carroll confirmed on Thursday that the 'rapid review' underway into the childcare sector in the state would look into the government's failure to heed the warnings on child sexual abuse sounded by former Commissioner Liana Buchanan over several years. This masthead revealed on Wednesday that former children's commissioner Liana Buchanan had long predicted in her warnings to government that the continued underfunding of a vital oversight scheme administered by the Commission for Children and Young People (CCYP) would result in the abuse of children. Loading Red flags over the man at the centre of the scandal, Joshua Dale Brown, of substantiated allegations that he acted violently toward children in his care, were reported to the Reportable Conduct Scheme for review but were not escalated to a suspension of his working with children check. Brown now stands accused of abusing eight preschoolers at a Point Cook childcare centre in 2022 and 2023, with more allegations being investigated in a case that has prompted authorities to call for more than 2000 children to be tested for sexually transmitted infections. Responding on Wednesday morning to the fresh revelations, Carroll, who is also minister for education, said the 'rapid review' led by former South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill, will 'look at everything'. 'My understanding is that they will look at everything,' Carroll said. Loading 'Lizzie Blandthorn, the Minister for children, the Premier, have all said we're going to implement all the recommendations, and if it does include changes to the system around families, children, the reportable conduct scheme, for example, yes, certainly we'll accept those recommendations and make those changes.'
ABC News
4 days ago
- ABC News
Victoria's children's commissioner concedes 'no-one' overseeing key decisions of office, Joshua Brown red flag
Victoria's children's commissioner has conceded "no-one" is overseeing key decisions of her office after revelations it failed to act on red flags raised about accused child abuser Joshua Brown. The ABC revealed on Saturday that the Commission for Children and Young People was aware Mr Brown's employer had investigated and substantiated two complaints that he was aggressive towards children in the two years before his arrest. The finding would typically trigger a Working with Children Check review but the commission used discretionary powers not to escalate his case, clearing the way for him to continue working with an exclusive interview with the ABC, the commission's Acting Principal Commissioner Meena Singh refused to say whether it was the wrong decision, pointing to laws that prevented her from speaking about specific cases. "I'm not commenting on whether it is the wrong decision," Ms Singh said. Ms Singh said the decision was ultimately made by the children's commissioner at that time, Liana Buchanan. Asked directly who oversaw the commission's use of its discretionary powers, Ms Singh conceded: "No-one." The commission is now reviewing similar cases where it used its discretionary powers not to refer substantiated findings for a Working with Children Check review. But its actions in Mr Brown's case will not be scrutinised as part of a "rapid review" of safety in childcare — the state government excluding the operation of the regulators from its terms of reference. "We will be reviewing our work," Ms Singh said. "We also welcome any other scrutiny that the government might feel appropriate." Mr Brown, 26, has been charged with 70 offences, including sexual assault, related to eight children at Point Cook's Creative Garden childcare centre between April 2022 and January 2023. Authorities took the rare step of publicly identifying him and listing the 24 centres where he worked, as they called for 2,000 children to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases. The ABC has been examining Mr Brown's work history, uncovering a series of red flags that have raised questions about how he was able to move from centre to centre. He was sacked from Nido Early Learning in 2021 over his handling of an incident report, three months before he started work at Creative Garden, the centre where he is alleged to have abused children. The operator of Creative Garden, G8, notified authorities of two "reportable allegations" about Mr Brown's conduct, finding he "aggressively" picked up a child in 2023 and "forcibly" handled two others in a separate incident the following year. Both reports came after Mr Brown's alleged sexual offending but more than two years before he was arrested. He resigned during the second investigation but, with no review of his Working with Children Check, went on to work at 13 other centres. The ABC understands only the worker, childcare operator and family at the centre of an investigation are informed of the outcome, leaving future employers in the dark about previous allegations. "I'd like to see organisations be able to access the information that they need to be able to determine whether someone is not only eligible to work with children and young people … but also whether they're suitable," Ms Singh said. "Sometimes that information isn't readily available for organisations." The commission's handling of Mr Brown's case has brought into focus its operation of the Reportable Conduct Scheme. Through the scheme, the commission oversees how organisations such as childcare centres respond to and investigate allegations of sexual or physical misconduct involving a child. Victoria has recorded a sharp rise in the number of notifications to the scheme — up 30 per cent in the year to 2023-24, and 136 per cent since it began seven years earlier. But Ms Singh said government funding to operate the scheme had not increased. The ABC understands the commission has previously lobbied for more funding but has been knocked back. "I think we're compromised in delivering the Reportable Conduct Scheme to its fullest benefits," Ms Singh said. "Sometimes we're not able to pick up on or dive deeper into those lower-level things that you might find that could indicate a potential pattern of behaviour or potential types of behaviour that indicate certain other things," she said. "I'm not saying this to make excuses but there's a lot that we see that we wish we could do more with."The government did not respond to the ABC's questions about whether it would increase the commission's funding, or whether it would give the commission more powers to share details of investigations or findings with childcare operators. Liana Buchanan also declined to comment.
