In brief
- A Sydney childcare worker is facing 329 charges of alleged child abuse.
- Australian Federal Police acting commander Luke Needham said 136 alleged victims have been identified.
This article contains references to child abuse.
A childcare worker stands accused of being one of Australia's worst child abuse offenders, with his alleged offences at dozens of childcare centres spanning more than 15 years.
The 35-year-old man is alleged to have created and transmitted child abuse material, impacting 158 victims, with 136 identified.
The victims were all pre-school or primary school-aged, with the alleged offences having occurred from 2009 to 2025 across 62 childcare centres the man worked at or attended.
The man was arrested and charged in July 2025 under Operation Moonbi after police seized almost 2.5 million files from electronic devices at his home and has been in custody.
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He was initially charged with eight counts of online child abuse material offences on 10 July 2025, and was later charged with additional offences in April, June and July 2026 that have now reached 329 offences in total.
Dozens of families affected
Australian Federal Police (AFP) Acting Commander Luke Needham said contact had been made with more than 121 families affected in Australia and overseas.
"The abuse of trust we alleged has occurred is devastating and will have lifelong ramifications for victims and their families," he told reporters on Monday.
"All I can say is we never gave up and we never will."
Needham said some of the material was shared overseas, with the majority of the man's alleged industrial-scale offences taking place across dozens of centres in Sydney.
The AFP published a list of the charges he faces on Monday.
It includes 162 counts of producing child abuse material and 81 counts of filming a person engaged in a private act without consent.
Education Minister Jason Clare said he would not comment on the accused but vowed the federal government's crackdown on the sector to weed out offenders would continue.
"I have been pretty blunt that not enough has been done in the past to keep our kids safe," he said.
He pointed to the establishment of a new National Early Childhood Worker Register, mandatory child safety training for educators and a national CCTV trial in centres as some of the new safeguards implemented.
"This is not the end. It's just the start. The terrible truth is this work will never end."
The case comes after the childcare sector underwent a national reckoning over widespread allegations of abuse and neglect.
Readers seeking support can ring Lifeline crisis support on 13 11 14 or text 0477 13 11 14, Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 and Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 (for young people aged 5 to 25). More information is available at beyondblue.org.au and lifeline.org.au.
Anyone seeking information or support relating to sexual abuse can contact Bravehearts on 1800 272 831 or Blue Knot on 1300 657 380.
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