More childcare centres added to alleged sex abuser list

Hundreds more children will need to undergo testing after four more Victorian childcare centres were added to an alleged sex abuser’s work history.

The Victorian government updated the list with four new locations on Tuesday — taking the number of childcare centres Joshua Dale Brown worked at between 2017 and 2025 to 23.

One centre was removed from the list and changes were made to employment dates for 10 others.

The four new sites are Milestones Early Learning (Braybrook), Milestones Early Learning (Greensborough), Kids Academy Waratah Estate (Mickleham) and Milestones Early Learning (Tarneit).

Brown worked at those centres during certain months of 2024 and 2025.

Parents who had children at the centres in the periods Brown was there would be contacted, said the government’s website.

The Victorian Health Department said another 800 children would be advised to undergo testing for sexually transmitted infections as a precaution.

That’s on top of the original 1200 children when the story broke.

Brown has been charged with more than 70 sex offences against eight alleged victims younger than two at a centre at Point Cook, in Melbourne’s south-west, between April 2022 and January 2023.

Police believe Brown worked at 23 childcare centres between January 2017 and May 2025, stretching from Williamstown to Sunbury.

Chief Health Officer Christian McGrath confirmed 830 additional families would be contacted.

“This is obviously a highly distressing situation, and I want to reassure all families being contacted that the potential exposure risk to an infectious disease for their child remains low,” McGrath said on Tuesday.

Police have released an amended list of dates and locations, including Papilio Early Learning in Essendon, where they have extended the reported period of employment by six months.

Authorities no longer believe the accused worked at Papilio Early Learning in Hoppers Crossing between August 22, 2024, and March 12, 2025.

“Where additional dates have been identified, impacted families will be contacted by the Department of Health from July 15, 2025,” Victoria Police said in a statement.

“A key focus of the investigation has been establishing a complete work history for Brown.

“This has been extremely complex due to Childcare Approved providers not having centralised records, requiring detectives to execute search warrants to obtain handwritten records, shift rosters and other critical information.”

Since the charges came to light on July 1, police have received more than 270 Crime Stoppers reports.

An Affinity Education Group spokesperson said the company had undertaken a comprehensive review of employment and staffing records, as well as other relevant data.

“This included providing relevant information from our ongoing review to assist Victoria Police in updating families on the childcare centres where the alleged offender worked,” the spokesperson said.

“We understand that relevant authorities are directly contacting families whose children may be impacted. We are deeply sorry for the distress this is causing our families, no family should have to go through this.”

It has been revealed Brown was the subject of two separate internal investigations at G8 Education, both unrelated to sexual abuse and occurring after the alleged incidents he was charged over.

The investigations took place before his employment with the Affinity Education Group, which stated it was unaware of them.

The two events were substantiated and reported to state authorities but Brown’s working with children certificate remained in place.

Melody Glaister’s daughter, now six, attended the Creative Garden Early Learning Centre Point Cook during Brown’s employment at the centre.

She told AAP she was “furious” to learn of the earlier abuse allegations, and outraged that he was allowed to retain his approval to work with children despite them.

“If the appropriate action had been taken, it’s very likely there would be hundreds of parents right now that wouldn’t be in the same situation,” she said.

Acting Premier Jaclyn Symes was asked on Monday why the complaints had not triggered Brown to lose his working with children check.

Victoria’s rapid child safety review would consider if a complaint or allegation should trigger the permit to be suspended or cancelled, she said.

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028

-with AAP