$120m wiped out in childcare horror show
G8 Education, a listed company on the ASX, has declined some 16 per cent since Tuesday's revelation that Joshua Brown, a childcare worker at the company's Creative Garden Point Cook centre, allegedly sexually abused eight children aged from five months to two years.
The decline has wiped out about $120m in market value as investors flee the company.
On Thursday, investment bank Macquarie downgraded its 12-month price target for the stock to $1.15 from $1.53, citing the Point Cook incident.
G8 slumped 7 per cent across the day and traded for just $1 at 3.30pm for a market capitalisation of some $765m.
In a statement from Tuesday, the company acknowledged that a 'former G8 Education team member' had been charged with offences involving children.
'The current charges against the former team member are in relation to offences involving children at Creative Garden Point Cook only,' the company said. Stock in G8 Education has fallen 15 per cent since Tuesday. Supplied Credit: News Corp Australia
'These allegations are serious in nature and are extremely distressing.
'We are focused on supporting all those impacted not just at our centres but across the community.
'Aligned with G8 Education's commitment to child safety and protection, during the former team member's employment, all required employment and background checks, including working with children checks, were current in accordance with legal and regulatory requirements … we are co-operating fully with Victoria Police, the Victorian government and other relevant authorities as part of the investigation.'
The company added that it had 'no tolerance' for behaviour that compromised the safety or wellbeing of children.
'As this is now a legal matter, we are unable to comment further on the specifics of the case,' the company said.
G8 operates more than 400 centres across the country.
For the 2024 calendar year, the company reported $1.021bn in revenues and net profits of $67.7m.
G8 has struggled across 2025, even before this week's dramatic tumble.
Year-to-date, shares in the company are down about 25 per cent. Alleged child sex abuser Joshua Brown worked at a G8 Education centre. Picture Supplied., Credit: Supplied Police have charged Michael Simon Wilson with raping a teenage boy. Supplied Credit: Supplied
On Tuesday, Victorian Police revealed they had charged Mr Brown, 26, with 70 offences after he allegedly abused eight children at the centre.
It is alleged some children were as young as five months.
A widespread investigation has now been launched, with Victoria's chief health officer saying 1200 children have been recommended to undergo infectious diseases testing.
Mr Brown was arrested on May 12 and is due to appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court on September 15.
Police allege Mr Brown worked at 20 centres across the state between January 2017 and May 2025.
A second man known to Mr Brown, Michael Simon Wilson, has also been charged with child sex offences.
On Wednesday afternoon, Victorian Police revealed Mr Wilson was a 36-year-old man from Hoppers Crossing.
He has been charged with raping a teenage boy, possessing child abuse material, and bestiality. Federal Education Minister Jason Clare has pledged urgent reform in the wake of Tuesday's allegations. NewsWire / Nikki Short Credit: News Corp Australia
Mr Wilson's alleged offences are not believed to involve childcare centres or any of Mr Brown's alleged victims.
The allegations against Mr Brown and Mr Wilson have rocked the country.
Education Minister Jason Clare, speaking on Wednesday, promised urgent reforms into child safety, including cutting off funding for centres that fail to meet minimum standards.
He also flagged changes to background checks for workers.
'It's taken too long to do the work necessary to make sure that our Working with Children Check system is up to scratch,' he said.
'In too many examples, a perpetrator is eventually caught and arrested and sentenced, there's somebody that got a Working with Children Check because they had no prior criminal record,' he said.
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The Advertiser
7 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
Fears alleged sex offender worked with more children
A childcare operator is urgently checking its records amid fears that an accused child sex offender may have been employed longer than previously thought. Joshua Dale Brown has been charged with more than 70 sex offences after allegedly abusing eight children aged under two at a Point Cook facility in Melbourne's southwest. Victoria Police are also examining evidence of alleged offending at a centre in Essendon. A list of the 20 centres he worked at since 2017, with dates ranges, has already been made public. The parents of 1200 children have been told to get them tested for sexually transmitted infections as a precaution. Affinity Education, which operates several facilities where Brown worked, including the Essendon centre, is now reviewing its records following reports he might have been employed longer than first thought. "Given the serious nature of the matter, we are currently reviewing our records in detail to ensure completeness," a spokesperson said. "Affinity Education continues to co-operate fully with authorities and remains focused on the safety and wellbeing of the children and families in our care." Meanwhile, a former royal commissioner has slammed governments for dragging their feet on creating a national regime for working with children checks. Brown, 26, had a valid working with children check and was not known to police or subject to any complaints before his arrest in May. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse called on the federal government in 2015 to "facilitate a national model" for working with children checks. Robert Fitzgerald, one of five members of the royal commission, said the recommendation remained unfulfilled. "My view is that is shameful," the now-age discrimination commissioner told AAP. "Ten years on, that job should have been completed and the fact that it isn't means there are gaps in our child safeguarding regime." Every state and territory maintains separate working with children schemes with different rules and requirements. Victoria, Queensland and NSW have all committed to reviewing or tightening up their regimes. A 2022 Victorian ombudsman report exposed "serious flaws" in the state's scheme after former Melbourne City Mission worker Alexander Jones was convicted of sexually assaulting a child in 2018. Jones was investigated for multiple alleged sexual offences in NSW but granted a permit in Victoria because his national police check was clean, as he had not been charged. People under investigation for serious offences can still hold a working with children check in Victoria. It can only be revoked upon criminal charges or a regulatory finding. Plans to strengthen the checks will be discussed at a meeting of state and federal attorneys-general in August. The federal government is also preparing to fast-track legislation in parliament this month to cut funding to centres with safety breaches. Federal frontbencher Clare O'Neil said she didn't have a good answer for why the royal commission's recommendations were left on the shelf. "A lot of these predators would pass a working with children check," she said. Families of the children recommended for STI testing are anxiously awaiting results. It's understood that at least two families were told to get their infants checked twice. They were first told to get their child checked for two diseases and then days later were warned about a third. The state's health department has expressed regret for causing any additional stress or anxiety. The allegations against Brown have cast a spotlight on educator-to-child ratios, which do not require more than one carer to be around a child at any given time, unlike the Netherlands' "four eyes" principle. A father whose two children attended the Point Cook centre wants CCTV installed throughout the facility. NSW has flagged a trial of CCTV cameras in centres, as an urgent Victorian review examines making the technology mandatory. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 A childcare operator is urgently checking its records amid fears that an accused child sex offender may have been employed longer than previously thought. Joshua Dale Brown has been charged with more than 70 sex offences after allegedly abusing eight children aged under two at a Point Cook facility in Melbourne's southwest. Victoria Police are also examining evidence of alleged offending at a centre in Essendon. A list of the 20 centres he worked at since 2017, with dates ranges, has already been made public. The parents of 1200 children have been told to get them tested for sexually transmitted infections as a precaution. Affinity Education, which operates several facilities where Brown worked, including the Essendon centre, is now reviewing its records following reports he might have been employed longer than first thought. "Given the serious nature of the matter, we are currently reviewing our records in detail to ensure completeness," a spokesperson said. "Affinity Education continues to co-operate fully with authorities and remains focused on the safety and wellbeing of the children and families in our care." Meanwhile, a former royal commissioner has slammed governments for dragging their feet on creating a national regime for working with children checks. Brown, 26, had a valid working with children check and was not known to police or subject to any complaints before his arrest in May. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse called on the federal government in 2015 to "facilitate a national model" for working with children checks. Robert Fitzgerald, one of five members of the royal commission, said the recommendation remained unfulfilled. "My view is that is shameful," the now-age discrimination commissioner told AAP. "Ten years on, that job should have been completed and the fact that it isn't means there are gaps in our child safeguarding regime." Every state and territory maintains separate working with children schemes with different rules and requirements. Victoria, Queensland and NSW have all committed to reviewing or tightening up their regimes. A 2022 Victorian ombudsman report exposed "serious flaws" in the state's scheme after former Melbourne City Mission worker Alexander Jones was convicted of sexually assaulting a child in 2018. Jones was investigated for multiple alleged sexual offences in NSW but granted a permit in Victoria because his national police check was clean, as he had not been charged. People under investigation for serious offences can still hold a working with children check in Victoria. It can only be revoked upon criminal charges or a regulatory finding. Plans to strengthen the checks will be discussed at a meeting of state and federal attorneys-general in August. The federal government is also preparing to fast-track legislation in parliament this month to cut funding to centres with safety breaches. Federal frontbencher Clare O'Neil said she didn't have a good answer for why the royal commission's recommendations were left on the shelf. "A lot of these predators would pass a working with children check," she said. Families of the children recommended for STI testing are anxiously awaiting results. It's understood that at least two families were told to get their infants checked twice. They were first told to get their child checked for two diseases and then days later were warned about a third. The state's health department has expressed regret for causing any additional stress or anxiety. The allegations against Brown have cast a spotlight on educator-to-child ratios, which do not require more than one carer to be around a child at any given time, unlike the Netherlands' "four eyes" principle. A father whose two children attended the Point Cook centre wants CCTV installed throughout the facility. NSW has flagged a trial of CCTV cameras in centres, as an urgent Victorian review examines making the technology mandatory. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 A childcare operator is urgently checking its records amid fears that an accused child sex offender may have been employed longer than previously thought. Joshua Dale Brown has been charged with more than 70 sex offences after allegedly abusing eight children aged under two at a Point Cook facility in Melbourne's southwest. Victoria Police are also examining evidence of alleged offending at a centre in Essendon. A list of the 20 centres he worked at since 2017, with dates ranges, has already been made public. The parents of 1200 children have been told to get them tested for sexually transmitted infections as a precaution. Affinity Education, which operates several facilities where Brown worked, including the Essendon centre, is now reviewing its records following reports he might have been employed longer than first thought. "Given the serious nature of the matter, we are currently reviewing our records in detail to ensure completeness," a spokesperson said. "Affinity Education continues to co-operate fully with authorities and remains focused on the safety and wellbeing of the children and families in our care." Meanwhile, a former royal commissioner has slammed governments for dragging their feet on creating a national regime for working with children checks. Brown, 26, had a valid working with children check and was not known to police or subject to any complaints before his arrest in May. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse called on the federal government in 2015 to "facilitate a national model" for working with children checks. Robert Fitzgerald, one of five members of the royal commission, said the recommendation remained unfulfilled. "My view is that is shameful," the now-age discrimination commissioner told AAP. "Ten years on, that job should have been completed and the fact that it isn't means there are gaps in our child safeguarding regime." Every state and territory maintains separate working with children schemes with different rules and requirements. Victoria, Queensland and NSW have all committed to reviewing or tightening up their regimes. A 2022 Victorian ombudsman report exposed "serious flaws" in the state's scheme after former Melbourne City Mission worker Alexander Jones was convicted of sexually assaulting a child in 2018. Jones was investigated for multiple alleged sexual offences in NSW but granted a permit in Victoria because his national police check was clean, as he had not been charged. People under investigation for serious offences can still hold a working with children check in Victoria. It can only be revoked upon criminal charges or a regulatory finding. Plans to strengthen the checks will be discussed at a meeting of state and federal attorneys-general in August. The federal government is also preparing to fast-track legislation in parliament this month to cut funding to centres with safety breaches. Federal frontbencher Clare O'Neil said she didn't have a good answer for why the royal commission's recommendations were left on the shelf. "A lot of these predators would pass a working with children check," she said. Families of the children recommended for STI testing are anxiously awaiting results. It's understood that at least two families were told to get their infants checked twice. They were first told to get their child checked for two diseases and then days later were warned about a third. The state's health department has expressed regret for causing any additional stress or anxiety. The allegations against Brown have cast a spotlight on educator-to-child ratios, which do not require more than one carer to be around a child at any given time, unlike the Netherlands' "four eyes" principle. A father whose two children attended the Point Cook centre wants CCTV installed throughout the facility. NSW has flagged a trial of CCTV cameras in centres, as an urgent Victorian review examines making the technology mandatory. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 A childcare operator is urgently checking its records amid fears that an accused child sex offender may have been employed longer than previously thought. Joshua Dale Brown has been charged with more than 70 sex offences after allegedly abusing eight children aged under two at a Point Cook facility in Melbourne's southwest. Victoria Police are also examining evidence of alleged offending at a centre in Essendon. A list of the 20 centres he worked at since 2017, with dates ranges, has already been made public. The parents of 1200 children have been told to get them tested for sexually transmitted infections as a precaution. Affinity Education, which operates several facilities where Brown worked, including the Essendon centre, is now reviewing its records following reports he might have been employed longer than first thought. "Given the serious nature of the matter, we are currently reviewing our records in detail to ensure completeness," a spokesperson said. "Affinity Education continues to co-operate fully with authorities and remains focused on the safety and wellbeing of the children and families in our care." Meanwhile, a former royal commissioner has slammed governments for dragging their feet on creating a national regime for working with children checks. Brown, 26, had a valid working with children check and was not known to police or subject to any complaints before his arrest in May. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse called on the federal government in 2015 to "facilitate a national model" for working with children checks. Robert Fitzgerald, one of five members of the royal commission, said the recommendation remained unfulfilled. "My view is that is shameful," the now-age discrimination commissioner told AAP. "Ten years on, that job should have been completed and the fact that it isn't means there are gaps in our child safeguarding regime." Every state and territory maintains separate working with children schemes with different rules and requirements. Victoria, Queensland and NSW have all committed to reviewing or tightening up their regimes. A 2022 Victorian ombudsman report exposed "serious flaws" in the state's scheme after former Melbourne City Mission worker Alexander Jones was convicted of sexually assaulting a child in 2018. Jones was investigated for multiple alleged sexual offences in NSW but granted a permit in Victoria because his national police check was clean, as he had not been charged. People under investigation for serious offences can still hold a working with children check in Victoria. It can only be revoked upon criminal charges or a regulatory finding. Plans to strengthen the checks will be discussed at a meeting of state and federal attorneys-general in August. The federal government is also preparing to fast-track legislation in parliament this month to cut funding to centres with safety breaches. Federal frontbencher Clare O'Neil said she didn't have a good answer for why the royal commission's recommendations were left on the shelf. "A lot of these predators would pass a working with children check," she said. Families of the children recommended for STI testing are anxiously awaiting results. It's understood that at least two families were told to get their infants checked twice. They were first told to get their child checked for two diseases and then days later were warned about a third. The state's health department has expressed regret for causing any additional stress or anxiety. The allegations against Brown have cast a spotlight on educator-to-child ratios, which do not require more than one carer to be around a child at any given time, unlike the Netherlands' "four eyes" principle. A father whose two children attended the Point Cook centre wants CCTV installed throughout the facility. NSW has flagged a trial of CCTV cameras in centres, as an urgent Victorian review examines making the technology mandatory. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
Perth Now
18 minutes ago
- Perth Now
Australian shares rise, edge toward new record high
The local share market has been edging higher after a stronger-than-expected US jobs report reaffirmed the strength of the world's largest economy. At noon on Friday, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was up 14.2 points, or 0.17 per cent, to 8,610.0 - less than 30 points from its all-time intraday high set three weeks ago, and on track to finish the week 1.1 per cent higher than where it began. The broader All Ordinaries was up 13.7 points, or 0.16 per cent, to 8,847.3. The gains follow another record-setting day on Wall Street, where the S&P500 and the Nasdaq Composite hit new records after the June non-farm payrolls report showed US employment rising more than expected. analyst Kyle Rodda said that while the readout had all but extinguished the case for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates in July, stocks had still reacted positively on relief that the US economy was holding up strongly despite risks from US trade policy and tariffs. Nine of the ASX's 11 sectors were in the green at midday, with energy and materials lower. Tech was the biggest gainer, rising 1.3 per cent. Xero had climbed 1.9 per cent, Life360 had advanced 2.5 per cent and Wisetech Global was up 1.2 per cent. In the financial sector, CBA was down 0.8 per cent to $178.27, on track for its sixth day of declines out of the past seven sessions since Australia's most valuable company hit an all time-high of $192 on June 25. The other big four were all in the green, with ANZ up 0.6 per cent, Westpac adding 0.5 per cent and NAB gaining 0.4 per cent. In the heavyweight mining sector, BHP had declined 1.6 per cent, Rio Tinto had subtracted 1.7 per cent and South32 had dropped 2.3 per cent. The Australian dollar was buying 65.68 US cents, from 65.69 US cents at midday on Thursday.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Former colleague of Joshua Dale Brown says they raised concerns over unsupervised children
A former worker at a centre where Joshua Brown is accused of abusing children said she raised concerns about children being unsupervised at the centre three years ago, claiming some even wandered into empty rooms and played in bathrooms with no one noticing. The woman, who asked not to be identified, worked with Brown at Creative Garden Early Learning Centre Point Cook in 2022, Victoria. In an email to the Victorian Department of Education, seen by the worker criticised the practices and procedures at the centre, saying 'supervision itself was lacking', and 'it wasn't uncommon for a child to wander into the empty room next door without anyone noticing, or for children to be playing with water in the bathrooms unsupervised also, or one educator to be left alone outside with over 20 children during the rest time'. Unrelated to the police case against Brown, she said she was 'worried about the safety of the children at this service as well as the staff who are not being supported very well'. The worker said she witnessed 'many times' when the room was left 'out of ratio or just on', despite the amount of children with additional needs who required more supervision. 'I am worried about the safety of the children at this service as well as the staff who are not being supported very well.' The woman reached out after news of Brown's alleged offences at the centre. 'I don't feel comfortable coming out in public about this and I'll be contacting the right channels but I feel like it needs to be known I did placement at the centre the guy from the news was at for the longest time in 2022 (Creative Gardens Point Cook) at the time he was there,' she wrote. 'I feel sick'. The Victorian Department of Health have been contacted for comment, but said the active police investigation into Brown prevented them from commenting. G8 Education, who runs Creative Garden Early Learning Centre has been contacted for comment. Brown is facing 70 charges in total, including sexual penetration of a child, producing child abuse material and recklessly contaminating goods to cause alarm or anxiety. No pleas have been entered. Detectives raided the 26-year-old's home, allegedly uncovering a cache of child abuse material. The disturbing discovery set off an intensive effort to identify eight children, some as young as five months old, whom Brown is accused of abusing and filming. The allegations centre on Brown's time at the Creative Garden Early Learning Centre in Point Cook between 2022 and 2023. However Brown worked at 20 childcare centres across Melbourne since 2017, which are now listed on the government website. revealed Brown is accused of contaminating food with body fluid, sparking an urgent health warning to 1200 families who are now having their small children tested for sexually transmitted diseases. A new wave of parents have since been thrown into the hell of wondering whether their children have been exposed to an alleged sex abuser after centres across Melbourne alerted families Brown had also worked at their centres. Childcare providers confirmed they were working with police, handing over rosters and other employment details to help investigators track the movements of Brown. Distressed parents have contacted desperate for dates to know whether their children have come into contact with him. Police sources described the active investigation as a 'moving beast' as they examined the records, including photos of Brown at work on particular days and helped navigate the dissemination of information to parents across Melbourne.
