NO CHILD SHOULD EVER SUFFER WHAT DANIEL DID… – Daniel Morcombe’s family leads push for national childcare a-b:use register after shocking cases
The call comes after a series of horrific cases that have shocked the nation.
Pressure is growing on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to establish a national childcare register that would publicly name alleged child abusers and the centres they work in.
Daniel Morcombe’s parents, advocacy groups and the opposition have written to Albanese following a number of horrific cases.
Ever since their son Daniel was murdered by a serial child sex offender, Bruce and Denise Morcombe have been fighting to protect all Australian children.
“We have to be able to get the government to stand behind us and make some of these changes,” Denise said.
They’re now joining with childcare advocates and the opposition writing to the Prime Minister.
The letter — titled Restoring Trust for Parents in the Childcare System — asks Albanese to facilitate a perpetrator register for the sector.
Once charges are laid, names and centres would be published and made public.
“It would be [a case of] both peace of mind and also transparency and information,” parent and co-founder of Childcare Choice Jen Fleming said.
Sydney childcare worker Hamish Tait is accused of 329 charges related to abuse, but it took more than a year for parents to learn of his identity.
Six more alleged victims were discovered once Tait was named.
“If he had been named earlier, those victims could have received treatment sooner and support sooner,” Fleming said.
Sydney’s David James is serving a 12-year jail sentence for creating child abuse material. Brisbane’s Ashley Griffith was jailed for life for raping children. Melbourne worker Joshua Brown, meanwhile, is facing 150 charges.
“The most important thing in childcare is safety of children,” Shadow Education Minister Julian Leeser said.
“The exposure of some of these predators is absolutely breathtaking and jaw-dropping at the same time.”
The Albanese government has left the door open to creating a register, but says it only received a letter on Thursday and needs more time.
“We’ll have a look at all good suggestions, obviously, to keep our children safe,” Health Minister Mark Butler said.
