Hundreds of childcare workers have been blacklisted from the industry in the past five years — but parents are being kept in the dark about exactly who was deemed a risk to their children.
The ABC can reveal that at least 390 educators around the country were issued prohibition orders — banning them from early education or care — between July 1, 2020 and June 30 this year.
Data from the country's second-most populous state, Victoria, is incomplete, suggesting the true figure is much higher.
The revelation comes after a string of shocking allegations against individual workers and provides insight into the scale of the problems plaguing the sector.
But national laws prevent state-based authorities from publicly naming prohibited people, meaning parents may be unaware that a person who cared for their child has since been blacklisted.
Parents are also kept in the dark about why workers have been banned.
This is despite regulators in other industries publicly naming workers, such as doctors or teachers, who have been suspended or barred.
Data reveals blacklisted workers
Childcare regulators across the country have the power to prohibit workers considered an "unacceptable risk of harm to a child or children".
The ABC requested data from every state and territory on the number of prohibition orders it had issued over a five-year window.
It revealed that dozens were made across the country each year, increasing from about 50 in 2020/21 to more than 100 last financial year.
New South Wales, which has the most childcare services, blacklisted the highest number of workers — 224 across the five years.
Victoria was the only state or territory to refuse to provide the number of prohibition orders it had issued.
While the exact reason a prohibition order is issued remains secret, long-time child safety advocate Chris Goddard said the consequence of abuse was profound.
"The damage done to a little child by sexual abuse, for example, is catastrophic," the Adjunct Professor from the University of South Australia said.
"If there are more than 300 people prohibited, how many hundreds of victims are there?"
'Need to know who these people are'
Childcare providers can check whether a prospective or current employee is subject to a prohibition order by requesting the information from authorities.
However, an ABC investigation last month revealed flaws in the system that mean only the worker subject to the order is told when it is issued — not their employer.
And yesterday, the ABC revealed another case in which a prohibited worker was unaware of their ban for months because government authorities emailed the wrong address.
One major childcare operator, Goodstart, wants all providers to be automatically notified when a prohibition order is issued.
But some advocates are pushing for further reform, saying the workers should be named publicly as they are in some other industries.
Australia's healthcare regulator publishes a register of former health practitioners who've been prohibited or had their registration cancelled. In Victoria, the names of teachers whose registration has been cancelled is also published.
Advocate Hetty Johnston told the ABC that if there was sufficient basis to blacklist a worker, "we should be absolutely naming people subjected to a prohibition order".
"The safety of children has to be our priority and unless as a nation we get that and we walk the talk of that, this is never going to change," she said.
"We need to know who these people are."
Education ministers from across the country met late last month and agreed to support a new National Educator Register that tracks the identity, qualifications and Working with Children Check status of workers.
The new register will be trialled in December ahead of an intended rollout next February.
The ministers also agreed to legislative reforms including making "safety, rights and best interests of children the paramount consideration under national law".
National Children's Commissioner Anne Hollonds said consideration should be given to increasing transparency and who could access the register.
"We've got to step up our vigilance and our accountability for the safety and wellbeing of children," she said.
Lack of transparency 'appalling'
Victoria was the only state not to provide data to the ABC on its prohibition orders.
It also refused to provide the data to a recent NSW inquiry into its childcare regulator, seemingly blaming restrictions on the national law — the same law that applies to other states that released the data.
"Victoria does not publish details on prohibition notices against individuals at they are not included in the list of enforcement and compliance actions that may be published under the National Law," a footnote in the inquiry report said.
However, Victoria's rapid review into the childcare sector, released last month, revealed 11 prohibition notices were issued in 2024.
Professor Goddard said it was "appalling" Victoria had refused to release the information.
"We have a right to know. The community has a right to know because there are people placing their children in the care of others," he said.
"We need a fully transparent and accountable system."
Victoria's Shadow Education Minister Jess Wilson said "continuing to hide this important safety information only serves to further break trust in the system".
"Victorians have a right to transparency when it comes to the number of prohibition notices issued against individuals working in childcare," she said.
