Child protection organisations welcome child safety overhaul, as opposition accuses Labor of delaying reform

Samantha Lock and Callum Godde
AAP
A damning review found Victoria's childcare watchdogs are failing to keep kids safe. (Diego Fedele/AAP PHOTOS)
A damning review found Victoria's childcare watchdogs are failing to keep kids safe. (Diego Fedele/AAP PHOTOS) Credit: AAP

A childcare safety overhaul is a step in the right direction but warning signs have been ignored for too long, allowing predators to slip through the cracks.

A sweeping and damning review of Victoria’s childcare sector found the state’s childcare watchdogs are failing to keep kids safe.

Poor information sharing, legal constraints, chronic underfunding and a system that places the privacy of educators and the pursuit of profits over child safety were just some of the revelations made public on Wednesday.

Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.

Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.

Email Us
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.

An overhaul is under way, with the Government accepting all 22 of the review’s recommendations, including the ability to pull a childcare worker’s clearances based on unproven allegations.

The review was set up in early-July after authorities lifted the lid on Melbourne childcare worker Joshua Dale Brown being charged with more than 70 sexual abuse offences.

He had a valid working with children check.

The review said the state’s permit regime, along with the reportable conduct scheme, should no longer sit within the separate entities of the Department of Government Services and Commission for Children and Young People.

The systems should be brought together under the same roof of the social services regulator as the trail of information that can identify a predator’s behaviour sits in “too many places”.

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan speaks to media following the release of a ‘rapid review’ into childcare.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan speaks to media following the release of a ‘rapid review’ into childcare. Credit: JOEL CARRETT/AAPIMAGE

Child protection organisations have welcomed the recommendations but say gaps have been exploited by predators for too long.

“For too long, warning signs have been ignored, systems have failed to communicate, and predators have slipped through the cracks,” Bravehearts CEO Alison Geale said.

The leading child protection organisation said the reforms “will not just plug gaps, they will fundamentally shift the culture toward one where child protection is proactive, not reactive”.

“Why have we ended up in a system where we need explicit rules?” early childhood education and care policy expert Caroline Croser-Barlow of The Front Project told AAP.

“Children’s safety should always be the number one priority.”

Victorian opposition leader Brad Battin also accused the the Labor Government of delaying reforms.

“It shouldn’t have taken the horrific abuse of Victorian children in childcare to force this Government to act,” he said.

Mr Battin said the Government ignored a 2022 warning from the Ombudsman to close dangerous loopholes in the Working With Children Check system.

“They were told to fix a broken system and did not. That’s a disgrace,” he said.

The Victorian Government has vowed to introduce legislation to state parliament next week to immediately suspend clearances while reassessments are finalised.

Under the change, workers who have their clearance refused, revoked or suspended will lose their review rights at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

Victoria’s working with children check regime, along with the reportable conduct scheme, will also be brought together under the same roof of the social services regulator.

The shift will be accompanied by a doubling of unannounced compliance visits under a standalone childcare sector regulator and harsher penalties for breaches.

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028

Latest Edition

The Nightly cover for 20-08-2025

Latest Edition

Edition Edition 20 August 202520 August 2025

Albanese and Netanyahu accused of putting Australia’s Jewish community at risk in incendiary war of worlds.