Australia’s biggest private childcare operator G8 Education will install CCTV in all 400 of its centres following child abuse charges being laid against a former employee.

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The Gold Coast-based childcare giant, whose brands include World of Learning and Bambino’s, also pledged on Tuesday to commission an independent review once criminal proceedings have finished.

G8 was among childcare companies caught up when Victorian police last week announced that Melbourne childcare worker Joshua Dale Brown, 26, had been charged with more than 70 offences allegedly involving eight children at G8’s Creative Garden Early Learning Centre in Point Cook, in Melbourne’s western suburbs, between April 2022 and January 2023.

The alleged victims were aged between five months and two years old.

‘Horrified and appalled’An illustration showing multi-coloured hands linking in a circle around a logo for G8 Education.

An image from G8 Education’s Instagram account. (Instagram: G8 Education)

G8 on Tuesday evening said its staff were “horrified and appalled by the distressing nature of the allegations”.

“The allegations are deeply disturbing, and our hearts go out to the children and families involved,” G8 chief executive Pejman Okhovat said in an announcement to investors.

“I am deeply sorry for the unimaginable pain caused to our families and what they are going through.”

The ASX-listed company has been hammered following the allegations — its share price has shrivelled almost 13 per cent in the past five days to 94c.

It told investors on Tuesday that procedures already in place included ensuring that required background checks and valid working with children checks were conducted.

Staff were legally required to report any concerns about risks to children, it said.

G8 said it had trialled CCTV cameras in several centres and would “accelerate the rollout … to all our centres”. 

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Kids face down asleep in hoodies, electrical sockets exposed and one child locked in a shed. Documents reveal disturbing revelations from inside Australia’s childcare sector in crisis.

It said it would also provide parents with “the opportunity to provide preferences on who supports their child’s personal care routines, including nappy changes and toileting”.

It would also commission a review to improve procedures.

Authorities have also released dates and names of the 20 childcare centres where Mr Brown worked, with some 1,200 children recommended to get tested for sexually transmitted infections as a “cautious” approach.

Affinity Education, whose centres are among where Mr Brown had worked, last week said some of their centres have CCTV already as part of security measures.