JOINT MEDIA RELEASE 6 November 2025
The Coalition will cross-examine police, law enforcement and child protection experts after securing an
urgent hearing into child sex offenders in Australian childcare centres.
The Senate inquiry into the quality and safety of Australian early childhood education and care system,
chaired by Liberal Senator Maria Kovacic, has confirmed the hearing will take place on Wednesday, 19
November in Canberra.
Recent reports from Four Corners highlighted how paedophiles are actively targeting childcare centres to
find and abuse children, with that abuse then often shared online.
Experts have emphasised that reported cases may be just the tip of the iceberg.The AFP Commissioner confirmed it is now investigating organised international paedophile networks, and
the Australian Centre for Countering Child Exploitation receives an average of 226 reports of child sexual
exploitation every single day.
Shadow Minister for Education and Early Learning, Julian Leeser, said that this inquiry is essential.
“Families need to know the truth of what is happening in childcare; they need to know that we are doing
everything possible to keep children across Australia safe. We have consistently said this issue is not
political – just urgent.”
“We want Australians to know that we are leaving no stone unturned when it comes to ensuring children in
childcare centres across Australia are being protected,” Mr Leeser said.
Shadow Attorney-General, Andrew Wallace, said “Every single day this Government delays action, another
226 reports of child sexual exploitation are made. That is unacceptable. The Commonwealth has a
responsibility to send a clear message that if you harm a child, you will do serious time. Our mandatory
minimum sentencing bill is about deterrence, justice, and restoring community confidence that these crimes
will never be treated lightly.”
“If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a nation to protect one. This inquiry is about ensuring that every
part of government, from police to prosecutors to policymakers, is doing its job. Australians expect the
Commonwealth to use every lever it has to keep children safe, and we won’t stop pushing until that
happens,” Mr Wallace said.
Shadow Assistant Minister for Education and Early Learning, Zoe McKenzie, said this inquiry is essential
to ensure that every fact, every lead, and every line of inquiry can be pursued to protect our children.
“With staff shortages and poor compliance monitoring, most cases of abuse in childcare are uncovered by
police – not educators. That’s why it’s vital law enforcement and child protection experts face questions at
the upcoming Senate inquiry, so our children’s safety is front and centre,” Ms McKenzie said.
Shadow Assistant Minister for Child Protection and the Prevention of Family Violence, Senator Maria
Kovacic, said that the upcoming hearings would allow senators to question and hear directly from law
enforcement experts.
“The revelations on Four Corners were horrifying; organised pedophile networks have infiltrated Australian
childcare centres under the nose of existing regulations. Despite layers of oversight from multiple agencies,
one of our nation’s worst offenders, Ashley Griffith, would still have been cleared to work in childcare
today.”
“This hearing is about cutting through bureaucracy and listening directly to experts about why the
safeguards we already have are failing, and what we must urgently do to keep children safe,” Senator
Kovacic said.
Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Education, Sam Birrell, said parents across regional Australia are
rightly concerned about the safety of their children given the appalling revelations.“They want the government to take this seriously, it was essential for the Coalition to force these urgent
hearings in order to understand the extent of the problem and to hear from experts about combatting this
scourge.”
Further information on the Senate inquiry into the quality and safety of Australian early childhood
education and care system can be found here.
[ENDS]
Media contacts:
Office of the Shadow Minister for Education and Early Learning ┃Clayton Hopper ┃0449 553
243┃clayton.hopper@aph.gov.au
Office of the Shadow Attorney-General ┃ Brendan West┃ 0402 556 646 ┃ brendan.west@aph.gov.au
Senator Kovacic’s Office ┃Francis Bolster ┃ 0407487280 ┃ francis.bolster@aph.gov.au
Office of the Shadow Assistant Minister for Education and Early Learning ┃ Conor Barnes ┃ 0435 842
136 ┃ conor.barnes@aph.gov.au
Office of the Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Education ┃ Morgan Dyer┃ 0412 832 474 ┃
