A shocking government review has revealed that a Queensland childcare worker who sexually abused 65 young children over nearly two decades could have been stopped on five separate occasions if the state had basic child protection laws in place.
Missed Opportunities and Systemic Failures
The damning 10-month investigation found that Ashley Paul Griffith continued his horrific crimes because Queensland remains the only state or territory in Australia without a reportable conduct scheme. This legal framework requires organisations to report and properly investigate allegations of child abuse.
Griffith, who pleaded guilty to 307 offences including 28 counts of rape, targeted children aged between one and nine years old from 2003 until his arrest in 2022. His primary victims were girls aged three to five at childcare centres across Queensland between 2007 and 2022.
The review, led by Queensland Family and Child Commission (QFCC) chief executive Luke Twyford, identified multiple catastrophic failures. Griffith had been fired from jobs involving children at least five times and was investigated by both police and the Early Childhood Regulatory Authority, yet he continued to gain employment.
"Depraved" Crimes and Life Sentence
Griffith's reign of terror ended in 2022 when police searched his Gold Coast home and discovered more than 4000 child abuse images and videos on his devices. This evidence documented the majority of his offending.
In October last year, Brisbane District Court Judge Paul Smith sentenced Griffith to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 27 years. Judge Smith described Griffith as "depraved" and noted his high risk of reoffending.
The court heard disturbing details of Griffith's methods. He filmed all but one victim during assaults, with Judge Smith warning these videos, shared with others, would likely "live forever on the internet". The recordings captured Griffith mocking victims who complained his abuse was "yucky" and told him to stop. The judge said Griffith used "a degree of violence and emotional manipulation" to enable his abuse.
Calls for Urgent Reform
The review concluded that children, parents, and staff had "repeatedly raised legitimate concerns" about Griffith's conduct. These warnings represented tragic "missed opportunities" to prevent further abuse.
A reportable conduct scheme is considered a fundamental safeguard that helps identify patterns of abuse and ensures allegations against people working with children are thoroughly investigated. Its absence in Queensland created the environment where Griffith could repeatedly offend.
Despite the overwhelming evidence and his guilty plea, Griffith's legal team at Gnech and Associates have lodged an appeal against his sentence, arguing it is "manifestly excessive".
This case has sparked urgent calls for Queensland to immediately implement the child protection measures already standard across the rest of Australia.
