Victoria’s Premier has stated that childcare regulatory systems have failed and promised to establish a state-based register of childcare workers within weeks. This announcement came to light following the revelation that Joshua Dale Brown, an alleged paedophile, was dismissed from multiple childcare centers.
In a statement on Monday, Jacinta Allan emphasized the necessity to bolster both state and federal childcare regulatory frameworks. She acknowledged that there were evident shortcomings in the systems in place.
Wallaby childcare center recently confirmed the termination of Brown’s employment during his probationary period after he worked there for five weeks between April and May 2021. They cited that Brown did not meet the company’s standards and values.
This recent news follows an incident last week where Nido Early School dismissed Brown after just 18 days of working at its Werribee center in July 2021, based on alleged violations of the company’s internal incident report policies. There have been no allegations of Brown offending against children while employed at either Wallaby or Nido.
Similarly, D.O.T.S Occupational Therapy for Children in Footscray terminated Brown’s employment after 26 days of working with the organization’s non-clinical admin team in March 2024, stating he was not a suitable fit.
Additionally, allegations that Brown forcibly handled children during his time at G8 Education, a significant childcare provider, were reported to Victoria Police, the Commission for Children and Young People, and the education department in 2023 and 2024. However, these agencies referred the matter back to G8 Education for internal investigation.
Despite the agencies’ findings confirming the allegations, a review of Brown’s case was not escalated, allowing him to continue working in childcare. Although Allan refused to comment on the specifics of Brown’s case or the decision by the independent regulator, she confirmed that working with children’s checks would be part of a broader review into the childcare sector, led by former South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill and senior bureaucrat Pamela White.
The Premier also confirmed the establishment of a state-based childcare worker register, which will eventually be absorbed into a national register as committed by Federal Education Minister Jason Clare. Allan described this as a “common sense measure” and acknowledged the need for systemic improvements.
Since Brown’s charges were made public, police have established that he worked at 23 childcare centers and an occupational therapy service, leading to the recommendation of over 2,000 children for sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing. Establishing Brown’s comprehensive work history has been described as “extremely complex” due to the lack of centralized records in the childcare sector. Further updates are anticipated in the coming weeks.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jul/21/childcare-workers-victoria-state-register-premier-jacinta-allan-ntwnfb
