Berwick MP and opposition leader Brad Battin has been critical of the Victorian Government’s response to the harrowing news of a childcare worker who has been charged with more than 70 offences relating to eight victims.
This article includes details of alleged child sexual offences that could be distressing to readers.
Battin, speaking on the travesty of the incident, said that “this is one of the worst child protection failures in decades”.
“It demands urgent, independent action, not another insider-led process designed to protect the government rather than protect kids,” he said.
This comes as the accused, Joshua Dale Brown, who is 26 years old, was detailed to have an employment history that spans 20 centres; additionally, 1200 children were urged to seek testing for infectious diseases after reports that Brown contaminated food with bodily fluids.
The State Government was quick to act, ordering an urgent review of childcare safety and announcing plans for a state-run staff register, new fines, and the potential of installing CCTV in all centres.
Currently, the Victorian Department of Health, alongside Victoria Police, is directly contacting families who may have been affected with further information.
Additionally, the official government website on the matter stated that a comprehensive response has been set up to support families who may have been affected, including a dedicated hotline that is staffed by professionals.
Further action saw former South Australia Premier Jay Weatherill and senior bureaucrat Pamela White recently appointed to lead the review in Victoria, as the Federal Government looks to fast-track legislation in the next parliament sitting week to cut funding to childcare centres that fail to meet safety standards.
Battin, however, is adamant that the process could be quicker, and that the appointment for a former premier is “not leadership, it’s damage control”.
“What exactly are we waiting for? The government has known about these solutions to the crisis for years, and the report may as well be written already,” he said.
He further criticised Weatherill’s appointment, highlighting that Weatherill “presided over South Australia’s worst child protection disaster” and that “his government ignored warnings that led to a crisis”.
Battin referred to Families SA, now called the Department for Child Protection in South Australia, and the former carer Shannon McCoole, who was convicted of sexually abusing multiple children in state care.
“How can Victorians trust Jacinta Allan to protect our kids when they’re recycling the same failed leadership that let children down before?” Battin said.
The investigation into the case remains ongoing, with Premier Jacinta Allan, according to the SBS, saying that “more needs to happen now” and that “families cannot wait”, relative to the reforms mentioned above.
Allan also announced that all state childcare centres will be put on notice during a press conference on 2 July, and that from 26 September, said centres will be required to ban personal mobile devices.
Shadow Minister for Education, Jess Wilson MP, also criticised the state government, citing slow and tedious action that is “needed now”.
“The Victorian community is expecting action, not further delay; by failing to take action on previous recommendations, the [government] has left gaps in the childcare safety system.
“We cannot wait until the end of July, or even mid-August, to implement the reforms we know are needed now,” she said.
For more information on the state government’s response, visit www.vic.gov.au/childcare-centres-investigation#childcare-centres-where-alleged-offender-worked
