A concerned Melbourne father has uncovered that alleged paedophile Joshua Brown worked at his daughter’s childcare last year but the centre hasn’t been included on the official police investigation list.
Abraham Khoury took his little girl to be tested and said he was furious her carers haven’t been upfront with parents.
Brown was working at Milestones Early Learning Centre in Greensborough on December 5 last year and sitting next to Khoury’s little girl.
An eagle-eyed parent spotted the image on the childcare’s communication app and raised the alarm.
“To know that he was there, and we were all kept in the dark about it, no one told us, there was no information available,” Khoury said.
“You’re angry, you’ve been lied to, you feel gross.”
The centre hasn’t yet been included on the official list released by investigators.
“We have to get our child tested for sexually-transmitted diseases,” Khoury said.
Khoury has contacted Milestones Early Learning Centre, which is owned by Affinity group, but had no response.
“It’s not good enough,” Khoury said.
Police are continuing to work through material provided by centres across the state to confirm the 26-year-old’s employment history.
“We welcome the fact that people have been able to come forward with their advice, and we continue to ask them to do that,” Victorian Police Minister Anthony Carbines said.
One operator has already responded with a proposal to ban male staff from changing nappies at its 16 Victorian centres.
But industry experts have warned against knee-jerk reactions and said changes need to be implemented at a national level to ensure the best decisions are being made to increase safety in every facility.
“Children deserve that safety from all of their educators and educators also deserve that peace of mind,” Australian Childcare Alliance vice president Nesha Hutchinson said.
“There needs to be reform, there needs to be cameras, there needs to be just more, because right now, it’s the bare minimum,” Khoury said.
