Additional 800 Children Advised to Get Tested After More Centres Tied to Alleged Sex Offender

Victoria Police’s Sexual Crimes Squad said the total number of childcare centres linked to Brown now stands at 23.

An abandoned children’s toy is seen on a path in Canberra, Australia on Dec. 10, 2021. AAP Image/Lukas Coch

More than 800 children will be urged to undergo testing for infectious diseases after authorities revealed that accused sex offender Joshua Dale Brown had worked at four additional childcare centres in Melbourne.

The newly named sites—all run by Affinity Education—include Kids Academy Waratah Estate in Mickleham and three Milestones Early Learning centres in Tarneit, Greensborough, and Braybrook.

Brown was employed at these centres between August 2024 and February 2025, the Department of Health confirmed on July 15.

Brown is already facing over 70 charges relating to the alleged abuse of eight children under the age of two at a Point Cook childcare centre between April 2022 and January 2023.

Authorities are now working to contact the 830 families of children who attended the four new centres, in addition to the 1,200 families already notified.

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

Police Expand Investigation to 23 Centres

Victoria Police’s Sexual Crimes Squad said the total number of childcare centres linked to Brown has now increased from 20 to 23, after ruling out one provider.

Detectives have spent months reconstructing Brown’s employment history, relying on fragmented records, interviews, and search warrants.

Some sites previously listed are being updated following new information, with one—Papilio Early Learning in Hoppers Crossing—removed after it was confirmed Brown had not worked there.

“This remains an active and evolving investigation,” Victoria Police said in a statement, confirming more updates are expected.

They added that over 2,800 tips had been received, and the task of identifying affected families remains ongoing.

Investigators criticised the lack of a centralised database tracking staff movement in the early childhood sector, saying the absence of consistent documentation had slowed their progress. Some centres provided only handwritten rosters, complicating the process.

Nonetheless, police said all identified centres had been cooperating with the investigation, alongside agencies such as the Department of Education and Family Safety Victoria.

Allan Government Under Pressure

The Victorian opposition accused the Allan government of presiding over a failed regulatory system and called for urgent legislative reform.

Figures shared by the Liberal Party show a 45 percent rise in complaints to the internal regulator since 2018, yet a 67 percent drop in enforcement actions.

They criticised Labor for excluding the Quality Assessment and Regulation Division (QARD) from the terms of reference of its safety review.

“This is a regulatory system in freefall,” the opposition said, calling on Parliament to be recalled to establish an independent watchdog.

Meanwhile, the Allan government has launched a short-term review into early childhood safety, led by former South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill and veteran public servant Pamela White. Their recommendations are due by Aug. 15.

“We’ll take every action within our power to keep Victorian children safe,” Premier Jacinta Allan said.