New details of alleged paedophile’s childcare work history to be released

The full extent of accused sex offender Joshua Dale Brown’s work history in Melbourne childcare centres has yet to be disclosed to the public.

Police were still working with service providers, particularly national childcare giant Affinity Education, late on Friday to piece together an accurate picture of Brown’s movements around the sector during his almost nine years as an early childhood educator.

A new and full list of times and places where Brown worked is expected to be released in coming days, as sources familiar with the matter but not authorised to speak publicly warn there will be significant additions to information that has been made public.

The charges against childcare worker Joshua Dale Brown, 26, were revealed on Tuesday after a suppression order was lifted.

But police said on Friday that all the providers Brown had worked for since 2017 were co-operating fully and that the delay in full public disclosure was justified by the need for all the details, some of it supplied in recent days, to be thoroughly checked.

Health authorities have contacted about 2600 families and recommended that about 1300 children undergo testing for gonorrhea and chlamydia, and later advised parents to have their children screened for syphilis, too.

Parents at Milestones Early Learning in Greensborough reportedly said they had been notified that their centre was on the list of Brown’s former workplaces – along with 20 previously disclosed facilities, but Milestones owner Affinity would not confirm on Friday if the alleged offender had worked there.

Brown is accused of abusing eight children, aged between five months and two years, while he worked at the Creative Garden Early Learning Centre in Point Cook, owned by another national chain, G8 Education, between April 2022 and January 2023.

Police are investigating allegations of further offending at Affinity’s Papilio centre in Essendon, where Brown worked from August 2024 until his arrest in May this year.

The 26-year-old alleged offender is in custody and will be brought to court in September to face more than 70 charges, including sexually penetrating a child under 12, attempting to sexually penetrate a child under 12, sexually assaulting a child under 16 and producing child abuse material.

A Victoria Police spokesperson said: “We understand that many in the community are feeling concerned and anxious, however it is incredibly important that this information is confirmed, then thoroughly reviewed with other relevant agencies prior to any public release.”

An Affinity spokesperson said the company had handed large quantities of employment, staffing and payroll data to investigators, and that chief executive Tim Hickey told parents on Friday afternoon that the full release of the list was in the hands of Victoria Police.

“We are committed to transparency and will support the release of accurate information by the relevant authorities,” the spokesperson said.

In an email sent to thousands of families on Friday afternoon, Hickey sought to explain why the alleged offender had worked in at least nine of its centres in just nine months.

“The individual was employed as a permanent part-time educator in August 2024 for a newly built centre which opened in November,” Hickey wrote.

“During that period, they worked or trained across other centres in the network or where support was needed.

“While this is a common operational practice in the sector, we are now reviewing how these movements are managed through a stronger child safety lens.”

The chief executive said concerned families should use the dedicated helpline, 1800 791 241, or talk to their centre manager.

The email also disclosed that Brown was at work until the day of his arrest, May 12, four days later than previously disclosed and that Affinity was not aware of the seriousness of the charges against Brown until they were publicly disclosed by police on July 1.

Hickey pledged a major effort to improve safety and security at Affinity centres, including mandatory refresher training for every employee, a review of centre layouts to look for blind spots and an audit of visibility into all care areas, including toileting and nappy change spaces.

On Friday, Victoria Police issued a statement saying that the force was working through additional information sent by childcare centres.

The Creative Garden Early Learning Centre in Point Cook, where the accused man had worked.Credit: Justin McManus

“This assessment is being completed by police as a priority. We understand that many in the community are feeling concerned and anxious, however it is incredibly important that this information is confirmed, then thoroughly reviewed with other relevant agencies prior to any public release. Once the assessment is completed, authorities will seek to inform the impacted parties directly and also update the government website,” police said.

The accusations about Brown have mobilised an unprecedented police and Health Department response as officials raced to identify alleged victims, inform affected families and launch a large child-testing regimen. Sex crimes detectives have focused their attention on Brown’s time at a childcare centre in Essendon, where they are investigating whether further abuse may have occurred.

Meanwhile, Premier Jacinta Allan has reiterated her stance that former South Australian premier Jay Weatherill is the best person to lead Victoria’s review of its childcare system – for the same reason the state opposition has decried his appointment.

Allan said Weatherill’s experience leading his state through its own crisis in child protection would inform his approach to strengthening child safety in early learning centres. “He knows the questions to ask, he has seen where the system hasn’t supported children, he can see where vulnerabilities have lay in the past,” Allan said.

Opposition Leader Brad Battin said South Australia’s failures in child protection under Weatherill made him the wrong choice to fix Victoria’s system. He urged the former Labor leader to “step down and move away from this”.

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