A male childcare worker in Victoria, identified only as "Peter" for legal reasons, has publicly denied allegations of sexually abusing toddlers and is appealing a ban imposed by the Victorian Education Department. The case has sparked widespread concern over regulatory failures and child safety protocols in early childhood education.

An early childhood educator in Sydney has been charged with multiple offenses after Australian Federal Police (AFP) allegedly discovered more than 500,000 unique images of child abuse material on his electronic devices.

The Albanese government is preparing to undertake a major overhaul of Australia’s childcare subsidy model, with Treasurer Jim Chalmers signaling that the current framework may no longer be fit for purpose. The move comes amid growing calls for universal childcare and urgent reforms following a series of high-profile child safety breaches across the sector.

A New South Wales parliamentary inquiry has revealed alarming gaps in the childcare sector’s ability to detect and prevent child abuse, with NSW Police warning that some offenders are deliberately “shopping around” for centres with weak safeguards.