The Victorian government will introduce new laws this week granting authorities the power to immediately suspend an individual's working with children check during an investigation. The changes are part of a broader overhaul of the state's child safety system.
Premier Jacinta Allan announced the legislation on Tuesday, following a review by former South Australian premier Jay Weatherill and senior bureaucrat Pamela White. The review was ordered after a childcare worker was charged in July with sexually abusing eight children aged between five months and two years.
It is alleged that the worker held a valid working with children check at the time of his arrest in May, despite having been terminated from several centres. The new laws aim to close such loopholes and strengthen protections for children.
