The childcare operators that employed alleged child sex offender Joshua Dale Brown have said there is no indication so far of any negligence on their part. But it may not be a coincidence that the 20 childcare centres where Brown worked were privately owned.

There are many uncomfortable truths facing state and federal governments scrambling to avoid a crisis of confidence in the childcare sector, which cannot afford an exodus of children that would jeopardise its already fragile viability amid rising staff costs and shortages.

Joshua Brown is alleged to have abused eight children who attended the Creative Garden Early Learning Centre in Point Cook between April 2022 and January 2023.Credit: Marija Ercegovac

While Education Minister Jason Clare this morning called for a speed-up in reforms, including more stringent checks, his colleague, Clare O’Neil, cautioned against relying on this “silver bullet” for good reason.

“A lot of these predators would pass a working with children check – they don’t have anything in their history that indicates as a problem,” O’Neil said.

That means more intensive work is needed in the centres to pick up on problems and potential warning signs as they occur. And there is plenty to pick.

Documents tabled in a recent NSW parliamentary inquiry........

© The Sydney Morning Herald