Qld childcare review reveals how pedophile Ashley Paul Griffith went unchecked

July 2025: A critical review sparked by one of Queensland’s worst pedophiles has uncovered the systemic failures that enabled his rampage to go undetected.

Early childhood centres are so concerned with their reputation or running into legal trouble that educators are dissuaded from speaking up about potential child sex abuse, a critical review sparked by one of Queensland’s worst pedophiles has found.

A progress update from the Queensland Family and Child Commission — which is looking into how the system allowed abusers like Ashley Paul Griffith to fall through the cracks — also found childcare educators were faced with an unclear complaints process and complex regulation, which impacted the detection of abuse.

In January the Queensland Government ordered a review to investigate whether the former Labor administration’s failure to implement dozens of recommendations from a 2017 review could have prevented serial pedophile Griffith from preying on 65 children over two decades.

Griffiths, 46, pleaded guilty last November to 307 offences, including 28 counts of rape, 190 counts of indecently treating a child in his care, 67 counts of making child exploitation material, 15 counts of maintaining a sexual relationship with a child and various other offences.

Chairperson of the Child Death Review Board Luke Twyford found early childhood centres prioritised their reputation, feared defamation and other legal battles, which may have deterred educators from reporting concerns of abuse.

This came following consultation with those impacted including victims, their parents and Griffith’s colleagues, experts and further research into the case.

Mr Twyford also highlighted complex and crowded regulation could have impacted training for staff to effectively respond to child sexual abuse.

Early Childhood Australia CEO Samantha Page said educators in the sector have to combat a “confusing landscape” and often feel conflicted in raising concerns to their managers or families.

“I do think as part of strengthening the systems response we need to provide educators with clearer processes,” she said.

“The problem is at the moment it’s a confusing landscape and if an educator reports to their manager, they don’t always know what happens after that … whether they were taken seriously, whether anything happened.

“We need to say it's up to the professional to report the concern, but the system needs to take on the responsibility to respond.”

The report further highlighted gaps in blue card processes, including how it can only prevent a person’s employment if there has been a criminal charge or conviction and is a “reactive tool”.

It is also not designed to collect information on early indicators of harm or identify patterns over time and across organisations.

Mr Twyford found more than one complaint was made about Griffith to his employers, the Early Childhood Regulatory Authority and Queensland police, with initial findings indicating they were not always progressed or shared between agencies.

This meant that up until the time of his arrest in 2022, there were no pending investigations, charges or convictions against him, and he met all requirements to obtain and maintain a Blue Card.

The final report is due later this year (2025).