7am How profit beats safety in childcare
Oct 27, 2025
Sherryn Groch, a crime reporter at The Age with a focus on child safety and childcare investigations, dives deep into the shocking Joshua Brown case. She reveals systemic failures in childcare regulation, highlighting how profit-driven motives overshadow safety. Groch discusses the alarming scale of abuse allegations, understaffing issues, and the opacity of internal documents. She critiques the fragmented regulatory framework and emphasizes the urgent need for reforms to prioritize children's safety over corporate interests.
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Mass Abuse Revealed Through Testing Program
- Joshua Brown, a 26-year-old childcare worker, was charged with sexually abusing at least eight babies and toddlers across multiple Melbourne centres.
- Police launched an unprecedented STI testing program after finding he had contaminated food with bodily fluids at a centre.
Leaked Documents Reveal Staffing Complaints
- Investigations found Brown had worked at over 20 centres and lied on his resume while still holding a valid working with children check.
- Leaked internal documents showed staffing complaints and regulator decisions that failed to act before serious offending occurred.
Fragmented Oversight Leaves Safety Gaps
- Multiple government branches and regulators operate with secrecy and poor information-sharing, leaving gaps in child safety oversight.
- Working-with-children checks and regulator visits often miss complaints and rely on exemptions rather than enforcement.