Tuesday, 9 December 2025

 Ann-Marie HERMANS (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (13:26): Evidence presented to a parliamentary inquiry has revealed that the state government repeatedly ignored warnings from the child safety watchdog about serious flaws in the working with children check system, failing to keep our children in child care safe from neglect, sexual abuse and harm. The Ombudsman was forced to tell the inquiry that her office raised these issues in 2023 and 2024, only to be met with silence and inaction from the then Attorney-General and now Treasurer Minister Symes and her department. These warnings came before the revelation of shocking allegations involving Joshua Brown, accused of sexually abusing babies and toddlers across multiple centres, and his alleged pornographic pictures. This is simply not good enough. A Wilson-led government will always put our children first.