Authorities in Melbourne are facing scrutiny after failing to act on multiple reports concerning childcare worker Joshua Dale Brown prior to his arrest. The 26-year-old has been charged with 70 offences, including alleged sexual assault and producing child abuse material, which involve eight young victims aged between five months and two years.
During a recent press conference, Premier Jacinta Allan described the allegations against Brown as “shocking and distressing.” Police confirmed that he was not previously known to them and held a valid Working with Children Check at the time of his arrest.
Reports reveal that two allegations had been lodged with Victoria’s Reportable Conduct Scheme regarding Brown’s conduct at Creative Gardens, a childcare centre in Point Cook. Both reports were made after the alleged offences occurred; however, the first was submitted more than two years before the formal charges were brought against him.
Despite both allegations being investigated and substantiated by G8 Education, the operator of Creative Gardens, no significant action was taken to review Brown’s Working with Children Check. According to the commission, which oversees the Reportable Conduct Scheme, it opted not to escalate the case, classifying it as a lower-level incident.
Meena Singh, the Acting Principal Children’s Commissioner, stated, “If an organisation finds their worker or volunteer has committed reportable conduct, the Commission must notify the Secretary to the Department of Government Services for the purposes of a WWC check review.”
The first report, filed in April 2023, alleged that Brown “aggressively picked up and put down” a child without providing adequate support. Following an internal investigation, he received a formal warning and was placed on a performance improvement plan. Although he took three months of leave, Brown returned to work until further allegations arose.
In January 2024, a second report was made, claiming he had raised his voice at three children and forcibly grabbed one child’s arm and another child’s leg, even pulling off a shoe. G8 Education immediately suspended Brown upon receiving these allegations, and he resigned during the ongoing investigation, not returning to work.
Police officials, including Acting Commander Janet Stevenson, indicated that there were no previous complaints against Brown prior to these incidents. Nevertheless, he continued to work at ten other childcare centres across Melbourne without a review of his Working with Children Check.
At the press conference held on July 1, Stevenson emphasized that while authorities are not suggesting Brown offended at all these locations, they encourage families to come forward with any information to assist the investigation.
The Department of Education has declined to comment on the ongoing police investigation. Meanwhile, G8 Education stated it takes all allegations very seriously and follows procedures to investigate any reported misconduct.
The Reportable Conduct Scheme, established in 2017 following a critical inquiry into how abuse allegations were handled in various organizations, defines reportable conduct to include sexual offences and significant neglect of children. Recently, the commission has faced challenges due to a significant increase in reports, with allegations related to daycare incidents rising by 53% in 2023-24 alone.
There are growing concerns regarding the commission’s capacity to provide adequate oversight, particularly as the number of allegations has surged by 30% since the previous year. Funding requests to address these increasing demands have repeatedly been denied, leading to reduced scrutiny of investigations.
As pressure mounts on the Allan government to respond effectively, the Premier has assured the public that efforts will be made to ensure the safety of children in Victoria. However, the lack of action in Brown’s case raises serious questions about the effectiveness of current child protection measures and the scrutiny of childcare workers in the region.
