Why wasn’t childcare included in the Royal Commission?
On 12 May 2025, Victorian childcare worker Joshua Brown was charged with over 70 sexual offences against children in his care. As a result, approximately 1,200 families were alerted by the Victorian government, urging their children to be tested for sexually transmitted infections. Brown worked at approximately 20 childcare centres from 2017 up until four days before his arrest.
A Wake-Up Call for the Childcare Sector
Since then, the Victorian government has announced an urgent review of its childcare safety legislation.
However, advocates and parents alike have been championing for better protections for years, and it must be asked why it took a serial child sexual abuser to prompt government action.
This case reveals a broader systematic failure within the childcare sector and insufficiency of existing legal safeguards.
Existing Safeguards Failed to Prevent Harm
Current safeguards include Working with Children Checks, which Brown himself had, and mandatory reporting, obliging every childcare staff worker to report any suspected child abuse. Yet, despite these mechanisms, Brown was able to gain employment across multiple centres for years without detection.
Royal Commission Overlooked Early Childhood Settings
In 2013, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse was established. As a part of this report, the Commission investigated particular institutions, including religious institutions, residential institutions, out-of-home care, and primary and secondary schools. This did not include childcare centres.
Government Reluctance to Reinvestigate
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has dismissed a call from the Greens to hold a Royal Commission into childcare centres. Mr Albanese cited the cost and heavy resources required for a Royal Commission as a significant factor.
Limited Scope of South Australia’s Royal Commission
South Australia is currently the only state that has conducted a Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care. However, this Royal Commission did not examine the safeguarding of and background checks of childcare workers; rather, it limited its scope to early childhood development.
The Need for Comprehensive Reform
These recent charges of child sexual abuse highlight the necessity for national and state governments to take urgent legal action to protect Australian children. Stronger legislative safeguards, improved vetting processes, and ongoing oversight of early childhood education providers must be prioritised to restore public trust and ensure child safety.
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