A major inquiry in Queensland will investigate whether the previous state government failed to prevent Australia’s worst pedophilia crime.
In November last year, Ashley Paul Griffith, 46, pleaded guilty to more than 300 heinous sexual offenses committed over two decades in Brisbane daycares.
The Queensland Family and Children Commission (QFCC) will investigate the Palaszcuk government’s failure to implement dozens of recommendations from a 2017 review.
Chief Commissioner Luke Twyford will be given special powers to access confidential police reports to investigate gaps in Queensland’s child protection system.
The review will investigate the chronology of Griffith’s offending to “understand what laws, policies, procedures and practices could or should have allowed for earlier identification, investigation and prosecution.”
It will examine his work history, residences and any reports relating to his conduct at the 11 nurseries he worked for in Brisbane.
“As a first step, I will seek information from the Australian Federal Police, the Queensland Police Service and our Department of Education, which will allow us to develop a chronology of the crimes that occurred, including the locations and employers where the crime was committed.” . The rulings may need to be examined,” Mr Twyford said at a press conference on Tuesday.
“I am particularly concerned about how we prevent, identify, detect and respond to child sexual exploitation in Australia, ensuring our blue card system is part of a broader safeguarding system that includes reportable conduct and a safety standard. system, as recommended by the Royal Commission in 2017.
Queensland Children and Family Commission chief commissioner Luke Twyford said he has been given special powers to investigate the government’s handling of child safety.

The disturbed predator appealed his life sentence in December, with lawyers arguing the pedophile’s punishment was manifestly excessive.

Ashley Paul Griffith, 46, pleaded guilty to more than 300 disturbing sex crimes in November
Victims and their families will be invited to submit to the review and describe occasions when policies, procedures, legislation and government responses were inadequate or slow.
Griffiths pleaded guilty to 307 offenses last year.
The offenses included 28 counts of rape, 190 counts of indecent treatment of a child in care and 15 counts of having a sexual relationship with a child.
They also included 67 charges of manufacturing child exploitation material and several other offenses dating back to 2003.
In 2017, the Queensland government launched a Blue Card review after the murder of foster child Tiahleigh Palmer.
However, the government acted on only 56 of the report’s 81 recommendations.
The QFCC will determine whether the remaining recommendations would have impacted Mr Griffith’s ability to offend.
Queensland Premier David Crisfulli said the inquiry would identify system failures and provide necessary recommendations to improve the framework of Queensland’s child protection system.

State Premier David Crisafulli said the final report would provide recommendations to improve Queensland’s child protection framework.

The victims’ parents said their first reports of Griffith’s crimes fell on deaf ears.
“This investigation is what is needed to expose the weaknesses in child protection and protect children from the danger lurking in the shadows,” said Prime Minister Crisafulli.
‘When parents drop their children off at nursery or school, they want to know that everything possible is being done to protect them.
“We must spare no effort to identify weaknesses across government that are failing to keep children safe and implement urgently needed reform.”
Twyford said details of the eventual report would be made available to the public.
“Our findings will be made public and we will publish public progress reports throughout the review period to ensure transparency and give the public confidence in the process,” he said.
Griffith abused 69 girls while working at a Queensland daycare.
He was arrested in August 2022 after police were able to identify a nursery in Brisbane from sheets seen in videos he had uploaded to the dark web in 2014.
Parents of children at a daycare where he worked were furious and said they had raised concerns about him, but were accused of sexism.
One mother said she complained about Griffith the first week he started at the center.
“He wasn’t wearing a uniform, he didn’t introduce himself to the parents and he just looked at the children. I thought it must be one of the parents,” he said.
But her complaint fell on deaf ears, with the owner allegedly accusing her of gender bias and asking if the center was “the right place for you and your family.”
Griffith also boasted about her childcare experience and talked about how she helped children “develop their identities” in a now-deleted online profile.
“I love engaging children in meaningful experiences that inspire their play and learning,” the pedophile wrote.
“I am especially fascinated by how children use creative languages such as drawing, building, painting and music to express themselves and develop their identity.”
At his sentencing in November last year, Judge Paul Smith imposed a sentence of life without parole for 27 years and said Griffith was “depraved and at high risk of re-offending”.
Griffith lodged an appeal against the sentence on December 20 last year, as his lawyers argued his sentence was manifestly excessive.
He also faces new charges in New South Wales, involving 23 alleged victims in Sydney.