‘Betrayal': Big call after childcare horror
Last week, detectives arrested and charged Joshua Dale Brown, 26, with more than 70 offences, including child rape and possession of child abuse material.
He was a worker at a Melbourne childcare centre and had a working with children check.
The Opposition Leader said on Monday it was 'an incredible betrayal'. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley is calling on Labor to take a bipartisan approach to bolstering child protection laws. Martin Ollman / NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia
'I just felt physically sick when I heard this,' Ms Ley told Seven's Sunrise.
'So I have written to the Prime Minister in good faith to offer our constructive engagement in the lead-up to parliament returning so that we can have legislation ready to go to actually act once and for all, to do what I think every parent would expect, and every community member would expect, to make sure our children are safe in childcare settings.'
A royal commission into child sexual abuse was completed in late 2017.
Ms Ley was the assistant education minister responsible for childcare when the inquiry started in 2013.
She also held ministerial positions in the Coalition governments during the royal commission and after it.
Asked if last week's allegations were a 'failure of the Coalition', Ms Ley insisted that her side got the ball rolling and Labor kept up momentum.
'Now, we certainly need that work to be accelerated,' she said.
Pressed on what the Coalition did when it received the royal commission's final report, she said the states and territories held most of the responsibility.
Though, she was quick to deny that she was blaming state and territory governments. Joshua Brown worked at Creative Garden Early Learning in Point Cook. NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia
'I'm not stepping back from saying that things need to be done, but I am recognising that state governments do own a lot of this,' Ms Ley said.
'For example, the Victorian state government has, if I can describe them, weaker working with children checks than any other state.
'And we all need the states to step up and own this because if they just say, as they often do in these instances, we want our system to prevail, then they're not acting either.'
She added that federal intervention 'won't necessarily cover every single working with children check' because they were a state-level responsibility, but it would 'cover other measures that can take place in childcare centres that the Commonwealth may be able to hold some levers of control'.
Education Minister Jason Clare last week vowed to introduce legislation that would let Canberra cut federal funds to childcare centres that 'aren't up to scratch' on children's safety.
He said funding was one big lever the federal government could pull.
In a separate case, the Herald Sun revealed over the weekend that a man convicted of accessing nearly 1000 images of child abuse material visited childcare centres while awaiting prosecution for some three years.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
7NEWS
an hour ago
- 7NEWS
Why the next 28 days are crucial for Erin Patterson after being found guilty of killing three people in mushroom murder
Erin Patterson has just 28 days to launch an appeal against her conviction after a jury found her guilty on three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder in a Victorian court on Monday. Patterson's estranged husband Simon's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, 70, and aunt Heather Wilkinson, 66, all died in hospital days after Patterson served them beef wellington laced with death cap mushrooms in July 2023. Heather's husband Ian Wilkinson also fell seriously ill from the deadly lunch but survived. The jury's guilty verdicts came after seven days' deliberation at the end of an 11-week trial in the Victorian town of Morwell, in the LaTrobe Valley. Following the verdict, Patterson was transferred back to Melbourne's Dame Phyllis Frost Centre where it is believed she is being held in protective custody. On Sunrise on Tuesday, criminal defence lawyer Ruth Parker and former homicide detective Charlie Bezzina spoke about a possible appeal from the convicted murderer. 'Technically the rule is that you have 28 days to appeal your conviction. But, realistically, the court will grant leave to appeal out of time for such big cases, where there is so much evidence and transcript,' Parker told hosts Natalie Barr and Matt Shirvington. 'Ultimately, I think that if she has the option to appeal she will.' Both Parker and Bezzina said Patterson was looking at a significant sentence. 'We haven't seen a case like this where there have been three people killed at the same time, in circumstances such as these, where they haven't gotten life (in prison),' Parker said. 'The issue will be whether she gets a parole period or non-parole period. 'I think there's a way to go with this one. She can definitely appeal out of time. The focus for her lawyers will be trying to get her the least possible sentence.' Bezzina said life in prison would be difficult for Patterson. 'It would be quite difficult, the fact of being segregated. There is code in the prison system about attacking or causing harm to children and the elderly. So, ultimately, she's not going to do her time easy,' Bezzina said. 'I think given the fact one murder count carries life imprisonment, I would expect the three life imprisonments, possibly with a very high parole date. 'She'll get parole. I would be very surprised if she gets life with no parole. I think parole will be set. 'The judge will have to take into account her whole circumstances when she gives their plea material and how she will be undergoing sentence. 'It will be a difficult time for her. 'That's a long time she will be suffering in jail. So, ultimately, we will be interested to see what the Justice comes back with.' Patterson on the stand Parker said while it was unusual for Erin Patterson to take the stand to give evidence, in this case it was necessary. 'Unfortunately, they (the defence) were put in a position where she had clearly lied to police during her record of interview,' Parker said. 'The only way they were going to get her version across or the version that the defence were promoting was to call her, and to put these things to her. 'But it must have been a terribly stressful situation, calling your own client is always deeply uncomfortable. 'She was in the witness box for a number of days. But unfortunately, I think that that was the only choice that they had.' Evidence Bezzina praised the detective work in the case. 'They had to go with their best case possible,' Bezzina said. 'This involved a lot of medical evidence, toxicology evidence, so forth and so on and witnesses also. 'You go where the evidence takes you and we have electronic evidence, we saw them bring in the dog from the Federal Police to look for electronic devices. 'We have the phones ... ultimately, very, very significant because the police know the high burden to prove a case beyond reasonable doubt. 'This was one of the massive cases, and ultimately, they're responsible to the family and to the community of Victoria to give them answers and bring someone to justice.' Complex case Parker said she had previously thought the complex case could end in a hung jury. 'I don't think I ever really formed that view (we'd get a guilty verdict) until the verdict,' Parker said. 'It was an unusual case in the sense there were lots of conflicting accounts. 'Ultimately the jury (felt) beyond reasonable doubt on the evidence collected she was guilty of murder on three counts and attempted murder on another.'
7NEWS
an hour ago
- 7NEWS
Male educators ‘feel unsupported' by sector leaders amid calls for bans in wake of horrific child abuse claims
An advocate for Australia's male childcare employees says men in the industry are experiencing an 'existential crisis' after horrific child abuse allegations sparked calls for them to be banned from working with kids. The federal government has vowed to fast-track improvements to safety standards after it was reported Joshua Dale Brown, 26, was accused of more than 70 offences against eight children aged under two at a Melbourne childcare centre. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: The Opposition's formal pledge to fast-track childcare safety measures. The state and federal opposition have vowed to support reforms that help protect children. The charges against Brown have prompted calls for change, with Independent Collective of Survivors founder Louise Edmonds even suggesting men be banned from intimate childcare spaces including nappy changing rooms, sleep quarters and toilets. 'We actually need to do something a little bit more drastic than has been happening in the past,' she said. A petition calling for male workers to be restricted from kindergartens and childcare centres altogether has garnered 811 signatures since it was launched last week. Men make up about 3 per cent of an early childhood education workforce that is short 21,000 staff across Australia. Ramesh Shrestha, co-founder and president of Thriving Educators Aspiring Male Professionals, an association that represents men in the childhood sector, said 'male educators are going through an existential crisis' and nine in 10 felt unsupported by industry leaders or their employer. 'Hard-working, ethical male educators stand by stronger child safety standards and screening,' Shrestha told 'Depending on what qualifications (Cert III to a bachelors degree), it can take six months to four years (to be trained). 'Add decades of experience, passion and hard work, people fail to realise that this is more than a job for dedicated male educators. 'To get (public) support would mean that they are still seen, what they are doing matters, (that) there's still hope for them in the sector, and they get to keep doing what they are passionate about — educating the future generations.' Ban is 'discrimination' On Friday, private provider Inspire Early Learning Journey announced male educators would no longer change nappies or be assigned to toilet duties at its 16 Victorian centres. Brown did not work at any of Inspire's locations. Shrestha, who also trains early childhood educators, said child safety was paramount but felt the ban was 'discrimination'. 'The practical implications — I don't think they have thought about that fully because that means extra workload on female staff,' he told 'When we do that, what are we teaching children? It's going back to old gender norms. 'It's not where we want to go. It's important no roles are related to gender — anyone can be a doctor, a firefighter, a police officer.' Child safety expert and former child abuse detective Kristi McVee said Inspire Early Learning Journey's ban was a band-aid 'to the actual problem of the lack of supervision in early childhood education'. 'They're making it a gendered issue versus the fact that there are predators in both genders,' McVee told 7NEWS. Shrestha said the stigma around males in the industry — including the 'side-eyes from colleagues and parents' — had left many thinking about a career switch. 'The early childhood sector is one of inclusion and support and discrimination against children and educators is not in the best interest of children,' Australian Childcare Alliance (ACA) vice president Nesha Hutchinson told Hutchinson said parents are incredibly upset by the allegations against Brown, 'and they deserve to be'. 'As a sector, we need to be better,' she said. The federal government does not believe a gender ban is the solution to better safety. Hutchinson said the ACA was keen to see a nationalised working with vulnerable people check system because 'no state talks with each other' at the moment, and a national employment register. Speaking generally, federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said 'there are loopholes in the system which allow predators to prey on children and it is just so horrific'. Federal education minister Jason Clare has promised legislation that will cut subsidy funding to centres 'that aren't up to scratch'. Operators that persistently fail to meet minimum standards would also be prevented from opening new centres. The Victorian opposition has called for an independent regulator so 'there is someone looking into this sector every single day'. The Victorian government will consider making CCTV mandatory as part of a review. Shrestha said he supported the use of cameras and restrictions on staff carrying mobile devices, said there was a need for better worker-children ratios, and called for tougher screening for employees.
West Australian
2 hours ago
- West Australian
Erin Patterson spends first night in prison as convicted killer
After enduring her first night in prison as a convicted triple murderer , Erin Patterson might spend the rest of her days behind bars. The 50-year-old mother of two was found guilty of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder on Monday after a long trial. Her estranged husband Simon's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, 70, and aunty Heather Wilkinson, 66, all died in hospital days after Patterson served them beef Wellington parcels laced with death cap mushrooms in July 2023. Heather's husband Ian Wilkinson was the sole survivor. There was a shout of 'murderer' as Patterson was driven out of the court precinct to prison in Melbourne on Monday evening. The jury's guilty verdicts came seven days after they were sent away to deliberate and 11 weeks into the trial in the Victorian town of Morwell. Brianna Chesser, a clinical forensic psychologist and criminal lawyer, said she was not surprised by the outcome. She argued Patterson's testimony across eight days on the witness stand, as well as circumstantial evidence , likely proved critical to convincing the jury beyond reasonable doubt. 'Whenever you have any lies in a trial it is quite a difficult thing to overcome from a defence perspective,' the associate professor in criminology and justice at RMIT University told AAP. 'What came out regarding the mushrooms was almost insurmountable. 'When you've got particular searches on your phone and a dehydrator that you had and didn't have, it really speaks to the unusualness of the circumstances.' The story had captivated the world because of the method, as well as the now-convicted murderer being a woman when the vast majority of homicides were perpetrated by men, Dr Chesser said. Patterson faces a sentence of life in prison for the three murders and one attempted murder and is expected to return to court for a pre-sentence hearing later in 2025. Options for appeal were usually restricted to points of law, a 'massive' error in fact or new evidence, Dr Chesser said. 'It's going to be quite a large sentence,' she said. 'We've heard during the cross-examination and examination in chief that there are some mental health concerns for Ms Patterson. 'That may well act a mitigating factor in any sort of sentence. 'We're also dealing with someone who's a middle-aged woman who has never offended before in their life and we've got four of the most serious crimes in Victoria being committed.' Within hours of the verdict, the Supreme Court released dozens of pieces of evidence that helped prosecutors secure the convictions. They included photos showing remnants of beef Wellington leftovers as they were tested by toxicologists, after police found them inside a bin at Patterson's home A video of Patterson discharging herself from Leongatha Hospital minutes after she had arrived was also released, while images of her at the hospital revealed a pink phone police say they never recovered. Prosecutors said this was Patterson's primary phone in 2023 and claimed she had used it to find death cap mushrooms online.
