‘Distressing’ situation: 800 children to be tested for infectious disease linked to alleged abuser at childcare centres; held working permit despite being reported

Australian authorities have advised infectious disease testing for around 800 children across four childcare centres where a man, now facing multiple charges including child rape, had been employed.Joshua Dale Brown, 26, was arrested in May and is currently facing 70 charges. Police allege that he abused eight children, aged between five months and two years, between April 2022 and January 2023, according to the BBC.Brown is scheduled to appear in Melbourne Magistrates' Court in September.“We acknowledge how distressing this is for all families involved and everything possible is being done to provide the vital support now required,” a notice on the Victorian government website stated.This follows an earlier advisory for around 1,200 children across 20 childcare centres to undergo testing as a precautionary measure.On Tuesday, police identified four additional childcare centres where Brown had worked between January 2017 and May 2025. One previously listed centre was later removed after it was confirmed he had not worked there.Authorities have assessed the potential risk of exposure to infectious diseases as “considered low,” and added that “testing results to date reaffirms this assessment.”It remains unconfirmed whether Brown tested positive for any sexually transmitted infections. However, authorities said that due to the nature of the alleged offences, some children may still need to undergo screening.At the time of his arrest, Brown held a valid Working with Children Check, a mandatory clearance for working in childcare, and was actively employed as a childcare worker, officials confirmed.The case has triggered widespread outrage among parents, not only over the disturbing allegations but also over what many view as a systemic failure in the government’s childcare screening process, according to the BBC.Brown had reportedly retained his clearance despite being flagged to state authorities two years ago for concerning behaviour at the same childcare centre where the abuse allegedly occurred. Those earlier reports were not related to sexual misconduct, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.G8 Education, the childcare operator that employed Brown, has announced plans to fast-track the installation of security cameras across its network of more than 400 centres. The company also said it would launch an independent review into the allegations once police investigations and court proceedings are complete.