Review to decide if failure to implement recommendations let monster pedo keep offending

An inquiry into the state’s child protection system will investigate whether Palaszczuk government failures could have prevented serial pedophile Ashley Paul Griffith from preying on 65 children.

Ashley Paul Griffith in November pleaded guilty to 307 offences including 28 counts of rape, 190 counts of indecently treating a child in his care, and 67 counts of making child-exploitation material.

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An inquiry into Queensland’s child protection system will investigate whether the Palaszczuk government’s failure to implement dozens of recommendations from a 2017 review could have prevented serial pedophile Ashley Paul Griffith from preying on 65 children over two decades.

Queensland Family and Child Commission (QFCC) principal commissioner Luke Twyford will be given extraordinary powers allowing him to access confidential police information to investigate gaps in the state’s child protection system.

Luke Twyford of the QFCC during a press conference in Brisbane on Tuesday. Picture: Supplied

The System Response to Child Sexual Abuse Review will specifically investigate the timeline of Mr Griffiths’ conduct to “understand what laws, policies, procedures and practices could or should have enabled earlier identification, investigation and prosecution”, including his employment history, residences, and any reports regarding his conduct at the 11 childcare centres he worked at across Brisbane.

“As a first step, I will be seeking information from the Australian Federal Police, Queensland Police Service and our Department of Education, and that will enable us to produce a chronology of the offending that has occurred, including the places and the employers where the failures may need to be looked into,” Mr Twyford said.

“I am particularly concerned about how we prevent child sexual exploitation in Australia, as well as how we identify, detect and respond to it, ensuring that our blue card system is part of a broader safeguarding system that includes reportable conduct and a child safety standard system, as recommended by the Royal Commission in 2017.”

Ashley Paul Griffith in a court sketch from November.

Griffiths, 46, in November pleaded guilty to 307 offences, including 28 counts of rape, 190 counts of indecently treating a child in his care, 67 counts of making child-exploitation material, 15 counts of maintaining a sexual relationship with a child and various other offences against children dating back to 2003.

Victims and their families will be invited to make submissions to the review describing where policies, procedures, training, legislation and government responses were insufficient or not fast enough.

In 2017, the former Labor government launched a Blue Card review following the murder of foster child Tiahleigh Palmer.

Just 56 of the report’s 81 recommendations were actioned.

Ashley Paul Griffith.

Mr Twyford will be tasked with assessing whether the 25 remaining recommendations would have impacted Mr Griffith’s ability or timeline of offending if they were implemented.

“It’s absolutely concerning when government receives a report with recommendations that there is not an immediate response, either to dissent and outline how they will be implemented or to reject them,” he said.

“To have recommendations sitting in abeyance for multiple years is not the best way to produce sound policy and doesn’t respect the review process.

“The world is far different to 2017, I think if there are open recommendations from then, this review is a great way to retest whether they are still needed.”

Despite passing the Child Safe Organisations Bill and amended Working With Children Bill during its final sitting week of parliament, Labor also failed to implement 97 of the 317 recommendations made in the 2017 Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

Former Child Safety Minister Charis Mullen conceded at the time that the legislation had taken time due to extensive consultation.

“If that had been implemented earlier, would there have been a different outcome? Is a critical question that I want to resolve,” Mr Twyford said of the legislative changes.

Attorney-General Deb Frecklington criticised the former government for “letting this issue happen”.

Attorney-General Deb Frecklington on Tuesday. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

Asked whether she blamed Labor for the actions of Mr Griffith, Ms Frecklington said, “let’s have a look”.

“Why we’re here today, what we have said, is a former government that failed to act on serious recommendations from previous reviews in protecting children who are the most vulnerable of society,” she said.

Premier of Queensland David Crisafulli at the press conference on Tuesday. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

Premier David Crisafulli said the horrific actions of Griffith had been the catalyst for the review.

“There have been many vulnerable children who’ve had some of the most horrendous things occur because of that broken system,” he said.

“But when it comes to the case of Ashley Paul Griffith - that was the one that really shivered at home for Queenslanders.

“It was the most horrific of crimes. It highlighted failures in the system.”

The QFCC will publish progressive updates on its website, with the review due in 2025.

Originally published as Review to decide if failure to implement recommendations let monster pedo keep offending