Childcare workers sound alarm over safety concerns
That's according to a union survey of 2000 childcare workers, with more than half concerned that for-profit providers do not prioritise safety, care of children or quality education.
Allegations of child sex abuse from a former childcare worker Joshua Dale Brown sent shockwaves through the industry, with the 26-year-old charged with more than 70 sex offences involving eight children at a centre in Melbourne's west.
He was arrested in May and it was revealed he worked at 20 childcare facilities across Melbourne from 2017 to 2025.
The accusations sharpened focus on centre safety and sparked calls for reform, with a state government review underway in addition to a criminal investigation by police.
More than three quarters of educators say their centres operate below minimum staffing requirements at least weekly and 42 per cent say it happened every day, according to a United Workers Union survey conducted before the allegations became public.
Some 83 per cent said safety was compromised by a common staffing loophole that allows centres to move educators between rooms and count educators not on the floor towards mandated staffing level requirements.
"Educators tell us that what was supposed to be a common sense stop gap for changes that occur at centres through the day has become an over-used staffing loophole," the union's early education director Carolyn Smith said.
"(It is) entrenching educators regularly working below minimum staffing requirements in their rooms".
She claimed the system fails workers and children, ramping up calls for national regulation and funding for the sector.
"Widespread understaffing and a lack of inclusion support staff impacts the level of care children receive," she said.
An anonymous worker from Victoria told the survey they "can't even guarantee the safety of the children and myself."
"I feel sad, unsafe and stressful every day," they said.
Major childcare operator G8 Education will put CCTV cameras into more than 400 centres following Brown's alleged sexual abuse of children and order an independent review once criminal proceedings are finalised.
"These allegations are deeply disturbing, and our hearts go out to the children and families involved," chief executive Pejman Okhovat said.
"I am deeply sorry for the unimaginable pain caused to our families and what they are going through."
The ASX-listed company lost more than $170 million in value since the allegations were aired.
A parent of one child Brown allegedly abused is suing the childcare giant, while more than 100 families are seeking advice about their legal options.
Some 2600 families and carers who had children at the centres where Brown worked have been sent letters and more than 1200 children recommended to undergo testing for infectious diseases.
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