Federal Education Minister Jason Clare is advocating for a national database of childcare workers’ employment histories to be made accessible with just a click after it was revealed that Joshua Dale Brown, an alleged pedophile, worked at more childcare centers than initially reported. This database would allow authorities to instantly access a worker’s history, which is currently obtainable only after digging through handwritten records and shift rosters through laborious search warrants.
Four additional childcare centers have been linked to Brown’s work history, along with employment dates at 10 more centers, bringing the total number of known workplaces to 22, in addition to his work at a children’s occupational therapy service. Consequently, health authorities have recommended that approximately 800 more children undergo testing for sexually transmitted infections, adding to the initial 1,200 children who are believed to have had direct contact with Brown and are recommended for screening.
Clare, speaking on Sunrise, described the situation as a “nightmare” for families, expressing concern for the anxiety and fear that parents feel about their children’s health and the trauma the children themselves endure. He emphasized that the Victorian government is actively working to track Brown’s employment details and that a national database or registry is necessary to keep a record of where childcare workers have been and where they are moving to.
Clare also said that authorities should be able to access a worker’s history with just “the press of a button” and understood the urgency for a system that could provide detailed information about where all workers are and which centers they are working at. The Victorian government has announced it will develop its own childcare worker registration system while waiting for a national scheme.
Additionally, Victoria has started a review into childcare safety in the state, led by former South Australian premier Jay Weatherill and senior bureaucrat Pamela White, considering whether CCTV should be mandatory across all childcare centers. Childcare providers G8 and Affinity have already committed to implementing or accelerating the installation of CCTV in their centers.
Clare supports the increased use of CCTV, stating that it would not only help deter crime but also assist police investigations in worst-case scenarios. However, he opposed calls to bar men from working in childcare altogether, arguing that this approach would not solve the problem as both men and women have been found guilty of abuse and neglect.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jul/16/accused-melbourne-paedophile-joshua-dale-brown-childcare-workers-australia-ntwnfb
