Lawyers are preparing to launch legal action against a childcare giant on behalf of families whose children were allegedly sexually abused by accused paedophile Joshua Dale Brown.
Law firm Arnold, Thomas & Becker today announced three Melbourne families were launching separate claims against G8 Education, with the first suit to be filed as early as next week.
Joshua Dale Brown has been charged with 70 child sex abuse-related offences pertaining to eight alleged victims who attended Creative Garden Early Learning Centre in Point Cook between April 2022 and January 2023.
The alleged victims are aged between five months and two years old.
G8 Education owns and operates Creative Garden Early Learning in Point Cook, as well as several other centres caught up in the police investigation into Brown.
The legal proceedings are expected to be lodged in the Supreme Court of Victoria.
More than 250 families whose children attended centres where Brown worked have approached Arnold, Thomas & Becker, according to the firm.
The firm said it was still receiving at least half a dozen calls every day from impacted parents assessing their legal options.
Arnold Thomas & Becker Principal lawyer Jodie Harris, who is leading the legal proceedings, said many parents and caregivers impacted were “really struggling”.
“The level of trauma has been quite intense,” Harris said.
“You could really see the scale of the impact that one person has had.
“Some families are unable to return to work because they can no longer entrust their children to childcare.
“Others are grappling with ongoing uncertainty, fear and guilt.”
To date, around 2000 children have been identified as potentially affected and have been recommended for infectious disease testing.
While many children have returned negative results from disease testing, Harris said the “not knowing” continues to take a toll on families.
“We continue to work closely with affected families across Victoria to provide clear legal advice, support, and to explore all possible avenues for compensation and justice.”
So far, 24 childcare centres across Melbourne have been identified as places where Brown worked at least one shift between January 2017 and May 2025.
Outside of allegations of offending at Creative Gardens Early Learning in Point Cook, there has been no confirmation any alleged offending took place at other centres.
Of the four new centres, Arnold Thomas & Becker is representing families from three.
“We are acting for three families whose children attended Milestones Early Learning Greensborough, one from Milestones Early Learning in Tarneit and one family linked to Kids Academy Waratah Estate in Mickleham.
“These families, like many others, are dealing with distress and uncertainty following the revelations – and we expect to hear from more over the coming weeks in light of this new information,” Harris said.
In a statement, G8 Education said a number of child-safe policies and procedures were already in place in all of its centres, including a ban on personal devices in rooms.
Following a trial, the childcare operator will also accelerate the rollout of CCTV to all of its centres.
It will commission an independent review into the alleged offending by Brown, once the police investigation has concluded.
“At G8 Education, the safety and wellbeing of every child in our care is our highest priority,” a spokesperson said.
“It is a responsibility shared by every member of the G8 Education team, and one that sits at the heart of everything we do.
“…G8 Education is committed to working with all levels of Government across Australia to urgently consider what more can be done to better protect children.”
