After leaving a toddler on a bus for more than five hours in the heat of Central Queensland, two childcare providers avoided going to jail.
On Wednesday 19th July, a preschooler from regional New South Wales was supposed to be dropped off at their childcare centre in the morning, but she was instead left alone on the bus for four hours before someone noticed her.
On Friday, the 10th of March, a three-year-old girl was left on a daycare bus in Victoria for up to five hours. After being put on the bus outside of her home to attend the service, her parents received a call at 3 pm and allegedly told an Educator discovered the young toddler still on the bus in the afternoon.
For leaving a young child on a minibus outside a Townsville childcare centre last year, a lady was fined $1000 but avoided a criminal conviction.
In the last five years, at least 68 children have been left on buses in Australia, a rate of more than once per month.
On 30 September 2021, 28 children attended a Perth museum on three 12 seater buses. An initial head was done when children arrived back at the service with only 27 children being accounted for. The educator assumed the child went home. At around 3:45 pm (2 hours later) the child was found locked inside one of the buses parked behind the service.
Due to the recent incident of a child being left on a bus in Queensland, the Federal Government has asked State Governments to tighten up and strengthen the safety requirements around transport.
A three years old girl who had been found unconscious on a bus, on Wednesday 4th May, parked outside an early childhood service, in Gracemere, near Rockhampton, in Queensland is now breathing on her own.
Educator, Dionne Batrice Grills, 36, was found not guilty of manslaughter in Supreme Court. The most awaited verdict has come out over the manslaughter of a little boy, aged 3, who was left on a bus and due to this, heatstroke snatched his life untimely. The incident took place 2 years before in 2020. Dionne Batrice Grills, who was in charge of the safety of the child on the bus was found not guilty. The driver who is incidentally the former centre director pleaded guilty.
From 01 October 2020, new national regulations for policies and procedures, risk assessment, and written authorisation will come into effect for all education and care services in all states and territories throughout Australia, for transporting children.
