Calls for an urgent review into Working with Children Checks have intensified after a man who accessed almost 1,000 child abuse images held the accreditation for years and was even welcomed into a daycare.
Ron Marks, from Horsham in regional Victoria, pleaded guilty last week to accessing almost 1,000 child abuse images between 2012 and 2021.
The 74-year-old was fined $7,500 and will report to police for the next eight years.
Despite the horrific nature of his crimes, Marks was invited into Green Leaves Early Learning childcare centre in Horsham, in central-west Victoria, to hold a talk two years after his arrest in late 2021.
The Wergaia elder spoke about 'ancient tools such as boomerangs, stones and ochre clay and explored Aboriginal dance and ochre painting'.
Marks' WWCC remained valid for four years after police raided his home and was only revoked when he was charged in January following a years-long investigation.
The highly disturbing case has exposed a catastrophic loophole in the existing Working With Children Check system, which only revokes the accreditation once a person has been charged with child abuse.
A concerned parent from the early learning centre said they were 'disgusted' by the thought their child was in the presence of a now convicted predator.
'I would be under the assumption that if you were to be arrested for such horrific crimes you should not be allowed near children until the outcome of the case,' they told the Herald Sun.
'It blows my mind that there's no way of checking. The system should immediately suspend Working With Children Checks pending charges.'
Green Leaves Early Learning said Marks only visited the daycare once.
However, it's understood he visited other schools while under police investigation.
Police said in a statement that Marks' case was flagged with the Department of Justice in 2021 and officers seized his physical Working With Children card.
However, Shadow Minister for Education Jess Wilson said the case 'exposes the complete failure' of Victoria's child safety system.
'Under the Allan Labor Government, it appears Working With Children Checks are barely worth the paper they're written on,' she said.
A government spokeswoman told the Herald Sun that WWCC's were only suspended upon charges being laid, rather than during an investigation.
She added that the government knew its responsibility to ensure families can 'trust that their children are safe in childcare' and that the Victorian government planned to adopt every recommendation proposed by a fast-tracked review of the sector.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan last week announced an urgent review of childcare safety would be prioritised by her government.
Daycare centres will be required to enforce a ban on personal devices from September 26 or be subject to a $50,000 fine.
The state will also establish a state-based register for childcare workers.