Police did not raise red flags about alleged childcare pedophile with working with children regulator

The childcare worker was able to keep his Blue Card to work with children in Queensland despite two reports to police about him in 2021 and 2022.

Regulators overseeing Queensland’s working with children scheme were not told an alleged pedophile childcare worker was under investigation until charges were laid against him in August 2022, despite police having the power to tell them.

The 45-year-old childcare worker, alleged to be one of the nation’s worst pedophiles, is accused of sexually abusing 91 young girls at 10 childcare centres in Brisbane, one in NSW and one overseas.

He was able to keep his Blue Card to work with children in Queensland despite two reports to police about him in 2021 and 2022.

Queensland police investigated the man but said there was “insufficient evidence” to take action against him. His Blue Card was suspended only after the Australian Federal Police charged him in August 2022.

State Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath told a budget estimates hearing on Wednesday that “no concerning information” was uncovered during the Blue Card Services’ screening processes and it was up to police to decide when to raise red flags with regulators.

“I can also advise that previous criminal history checks undertaken by Blue Card Services did not return any criminal history,” she said. “Additionally, there was no other relevant concerning information, disciplinary or investigative information or other allegations or adverse information returned to Blue Card Services in its screening processes in relation to that individual.”

Ms D’Ath said Blue Card Ser­vices had the power to take into account “police investigative information relating to allegations of serious child related sexual offences even if no charges are laid”.

“It is up to police to determine at what point we are provided with that information so we can notify that person of that suspension,” she said. “As such, where there is covert surveillance and investigations happening, it is up to the police to advise us at what point that person can be aware that that investigation is occurring.”

In a statement, the Queensland Police Service said: “It would be inappropriate for the QPS to share information if someone was listed as a suspect, without the matter being subject to an independent investigation”.

“As there was insufficient evidence, the matters did not meet the threshold … to be referred to Blue Card Services (investigative information).

Yolanda Borucki, who managed a chain of Queensland daycare centres, told A Current Affair a staff member saw the man kissing a girl inside a fort and she had reported him to police in Oct­ober 2021.

The QPS is understood to have cleared the man without checking his home or devices because there was insufficient evidence for a search warrant.