Ashley Griffith serial pedophile: Calls for police powers, childcare redesign
The jailing of one of Australia’s worst pedophiles has sparked calls for police powers to be beefed up and other restrictions tightened.
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Child safety advocates are calling on greater police powers to search someone’s phone as soon as a child sexual assault complaint is made, and stricter restrictions around getting a blue card, after Ashley Paul Griffith, one of Australia’s worst pedophiles, was sentenced.
Griffith was sentenced to life in prison on Friday for abusing 65 young girls at 11 Brisbane childcare centres over a 20-year period.
Bravehearts founder Hetty Johnston said how the system managed disclosures of child sexual assault or concerns was failing because it was often difficult to prove with police needing more powers.
The Queensland Government has ordered a review by the Queensland Family and Child Commissioner to investigate how Griffith was able to abuse children repeatedly for such a long period of time.
“If we are serious about protecting children, we better get serious about how we monitor this and how we implement it, and we’re not doing that,” Ms Johnston said.
“What we need to do is we need to make sure that police have got the powers to check somebody’s mobile phone, if they’re suspected or there are concerns about their behaviours around children.
“That has to happen. Currently, they have to go to court and get a warrant or an order from a court or from a judge in order to do it.”
Leading child safety campaigner Bruce Morcombe said it was extremely important to fix the blue card system.
“It’s not the ideal system, but certainly more scrutiny in terms of the training and of staff at these early learning centres is needed, particularly by senior staff, where they can identify harmful sexual behaviour, perhaps in some of their staff members,” he said.
“The system is flawed because unless someone’s made allegations, unless there’s been police activity, there’s information online about them or they’ve got a criminal conviction for offences against children, they’re going to have access to a blue card.
“So they can fly under the radar with the current system.”
Act for Kids chief executive Katrina Lines said it was important to nationally harmonise the working with children check.
Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek said the state government would launch an inquiry into child protection within its first 100 days.
“The inquiry will be led by the Queensland Family and Child Commission and identify laws, policies, procedures and practices to be strengthened across early childhood education and care, police and blue card systems,” he said.
The federal government have already conducted a Review of Child Safety Arrangements under the National Quality Framework which was released at the end of 2023.
The review outlined a number of key recommendations which all education ministers agreeing to implement on February 23, 2024 with them currently being implemented.
Federal Education Minister Jason Clare said: “Australia has a very good system of early childhood education and care, but more can be done to make sure safety guidance and measures are fit-for-purpose.”
Parts of the federal review include making classrooms safer and not allowing teachers to film on their own phones.
Ms Johnston said: “There shouldn’t be any solid walls inside childcare centres. It should be all windows, nothing should be closed.
“There should be windows indoors where there are doors, like storerooms, there should always be two sets of eyes, adult eyes on children in childcare centres and schools, never alone.
“The opportunity to isolate the children is the only way they’re going to get away with that. So you’ve got to cut off all opportunities to isolate.”
Queensland Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski previously said he asked Victoria Police conduct a review of QPS’s handling of the Griffith case, which it investigated in October 2021 and April 2022.
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Originally published as Ashley Griffith serial pedophile: Calls for police powers, childcare redesign
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