Early childhood education services across Victoria have been significantly disrupted as educators stage a widespread strike on Tuesday, 16th September. The industrial action follows a prolonged 15-month negotiation period during which the Victorian state government has failed to present a pay offer to educators.

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.

Victoria is introducing urgent legislative reforms to strengthen child safety protections by enabling the immediate suspension of Working With Children Checks (WWCCs) for individuals under reassessment for cancellation.

Victoria is set to overhaul its child safety framework, with new legislation fast-tracked through Parliament to address systemic gaps in the Working With Children Check (WWCC) process. 

The Victorian government has announced sweeping reforms to its childcare regulatory system in response to a damning review triggered by serious allegations of child abuse in early childhood services.

 Darren Misquitta, the former head of the now-defunct Genius Childcare group, has been fined $4,000 by the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to handling $120,000 that was the proceeds of a fraud committed six years ago.

The Australian childcare sector is reaching a critical tipping point, where delayed reforms and missed safety opportunities are placing children at unacceptable risk. As highlighted in recent coverage, Shadow Education Minister Jonathon Duniam has called on the federal government to act without delay, warning that “there is not a day to waste” when it comes to protecting our youngest citizens.

In an outcome met with collective relief, Victorian health authorities have confirmed that all 2000 children tested for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in connection with alleged pedophile Joshua Dale Brown have returned negative results. The tests were conducted as a precaution after Brown, charged with over 70 offenses involving children aged five months to two years, was found to have worked across 23 childcare centres over an eight-year span.

In July 2025, Australian early learning services faced a reckoning not only with child protection protocols—but with their values. The phrase “They’ve sent a male”, reportedly uttered as a relief educator arrived for shift work, revealed how fear has been weaponized in ways that quietly exclude men from the workforce.

Victoria is set to roll out a state-based Early Childhood Workforce Register this August—but sector advocates are raising red flags over critical exclusions that may undermine the very purpose of the reform.