Childcare worker filled in as a cook just days before police charges

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The ABC can reveal a Melbourne childcare worker filled in as a cook and prepared meals for children just days before he was accused of contaminating food with his bodily fluids and charged with dozens of sex offences at another centre. It comes as the state government defends its review of the sector a probe that won't scrutinise the regulator.

Transcript

00:00These photos, posted to an app for child care parents, show alleged child abuser Joshua

00:07Dale Brown working in the kitchen at Papillo Early Learning Centre in Essendon just days

00:13before his May 12 arrest. Brown was temporarily filling in, but for parents it's had a lasting

00:19impact. Amongst the 70 charges laid against him at a Point Cook Centre are allegations

00:24he contaminated food with bodily fluids. 1,200 families have been told to test their kids

00:31for sexually transmitted diseases. We can't show you the parents, but it's hard

00:35to express just how angry, anxious and confused they are. They say there's inconsistent advice

00:41with the official list of sites of where the accused worked, not the complete picture.

00:46They're also concerned about a lack of transparency. With Victorians still reeling from the horrific

00:52allegations, the government is under pressure to act, ordering a review.

00:56That review will principally look at the reform work that is underway nationally and whether

01:01there are things within that reform work that here in Victoria we can expedite.

01:05Led by former South Australian Premier Jay Wetherill, it is also looking at the Working

01:09with Children check already slammed by the Ombudsman three years ago. Joshua Brown had

01:14one when he was arrested. Certainly I think there are gaps within the Working with Children

01:18and Tech system. The review will not probe the performance of the state's child care regulator.

01:23The regulator doesn't do the job it should. We need to look at stepping up an independent

01:30regulator to give proper oversight to this industry. This review does not cover everything

01:34and could cover a whole lot more. A recent New South Wales inquiry found CCTV should be used

01:40in poor performing centres. Personally I think that CCTV would act as a deterrent.

01:46We don't want people to think CCTV job done, there is a lot more to do to keep children safe.

01:53Child care workers and parents both say that making a report in Victoria is too difficult,

01:59with no central authority overseeing child care workers. A one stop shop in my view is always

02:04the simplest way to manage complaints. Little comfort for those trying to pick up the pieces.

02:10What does the situation mean?

02:15What does theiska work do not have a better path to have been able to do for example or for

02:21these individuals? It is a great group of individuals.

02:24And by the end of the year for example, the Microsoft Microsoft Office is a great group of

02:27the staff of researchers who have collaborated on.

02:29And in the years of the year, they have been able to judge those for many years.

02:35And we'll talk here about what they are going to do with.

02:36It was a great group of colleagues that they threw in their house here,

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