By Amber Schultz and Jordan Baker
A childcare worker with Affinity Education charged with nine counts of sexual abuse against a child has pleaded not guilty and will face a hearing in a regional NSW court.
The man is charged with nine counts of intentionally sexually touching a child under 10 years of age, and one count of rape. It is not known if the child abuse offences relate to the same victim.
The man has been granted bail, with a hearing date to be set on July 23. Further details cannot be published for legal reasons.
Victorian childcare worker Joshua Dale Brown, who last week was charged with 70 sex offences against eight children in his care, including child rape, also worked at multiple childcare centres owned by Affinity Education.
New data has revealed more than 170 NSW children aged five or under are alleged to have been victims of sexual assault or touching in their pre-school education centres over the past five years, amid rising concern about the safety of young children in care.
There were 18 adults charged with committing sexual offences in early education settings over the same period, including 17 men and one woman, the figures from the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) found.
The BOCSAR data said there were 54 alleged victims in the 12 months to March 2025, the highest in that five-year period, and 37 in the previous 12 months, the second-highest rate. The figures are based on direct reports to police and those passed on from child protection.
Some of those victims related to a series of arrests in October last year, three NSW childcare workers at separate centres were charged with sexual touching of children or, in one of the cases, child abuse.
But they do not cover June, when more than 100 families on Sydney’s north shore and in the CBD received letters notifying them about a man who worked with children, and who has been charged with criminal offences relating to inappropriate behaviour.
Child Abuse Squad commander Detective Superintendent Linda Howlett said the spike in the number of alleged victims was likely due to increased reporting and awareness among parents.
“People are aware, people are on the lookout, and people are hopefully doing the right thing by reporting,” she said.
She said tragically, she didn’t consider those figures high when compared to child abuse reports among older children capable of articulating their experiences.
“It is challenging when the child is non-verbal,” she said.
Howlett advised parents to be on the lookout for changes in behaviour, such as the child being reluctant to go to childcare, sexualised behaviour, injuries or marks, and disclosures.
“Don’t question the child, as it could contaminate the evidence. It’s just a matter of listening … let them speak,” she said.
NSW Police Child Abuse Squad Commander Detective Superintendent Linda Howlett said police left “no stone unturned” in investigating reports of abuse.Credit: Janie Barrett
She said parents should keep the clothes a child wore to daycare on the day concerns were raised, and contact the police, not the childcare centre.
“You don’t know the affiliation of [the centre] and you might be giving a pre-warning of your possible investigation,” she said.
The NSW Police Child Abuse Squad, one of the most staffed squads in the force, makes an average of 11 arrests per week. Nearly 600 people were charged with over 3500 offences in the 2024-2025 financial year.
The BOCSAR figures, provided on the Herald’s request, relate to premises classified by NSW Police as a pre-school. The police system does not give officers the option of recording premises as a daycare or a childcare centre, the bureau said.
The 18 alleged perpetrators included offenders against anyone at a preschool premises, not just those involving victims aged five or under.
The NSW Police Child Abuse squad makes an average of 11 arrests per week.Credit: Marija Ercegovac
The Parenthood campaign director Maddie Butler said parents and carers across the country were feeling “concerned and distressed” about the statistics coming out of NSW, as well as what occurred in Victoria.
“You want to know that when you leave your child in an early learning setting, that they are in an environment that’s high quality, and your child will be nurtured and protected,” she said.
The organisation is calling for the “urgent” establishment of a national independent early childhood education commission for national oversight, consistent quality and accountability.
The recent cases have renewed concern about the adequacy of systems to keep children safe in early care settings, including loopholes in Working with Children Checks, confusion among childcare workers about how to report concerns, and a failure to track the bona fides of workers.
Last November, Australia’s worst paedophile – childcare worker Ashley Paul Griffith – was sentenced to life in prison for 307 sexual offences against 73 victims over almost 20 years.
NSW is trialling CCTV cameras in childcare centres, and will block appeals for people who have been refused Working with Children Checks.
Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732).