Sydney woman's brutal question after Australia's alleged 'worst ever child sex offender' charged with 329 crimes: Should men work in day care?

Published: 07:24, 16 July 2026 | Updated: 07:32, 16 July 2026 A Sydney woman has questioned whether men should be allowed to work in the childcare industry after the identity of a man described by some as Australia's alleged 'worst ever childcare predator' was revealed in court. Hamish Tait, 35, has been accused of 329 offences against up to 150 children between 2009 and 2025, while he worked at 62 different centres. Should all the charges be upheld, he would be the country's worst ever child sex offender. The broad allegations prompted Sydney woman Mary Jam to question men's presence in the early childhood sector in a social media video. 'I'm going to say something really controversial... a lot of people [are] asking the question, should men even be allowed to work in childcare centres at this rate,' she said. She cited a University of New South Wales study published in July 2025, which found that 'while men make up only a small proportion of childcare workers, they are responsible for the majority of child sexual abuse cases within them'. 'Recent data show that one in 20 men in the Australian community are motivated offenders (individuals who reported both sexual interest in and offending against children),' the UNSW article read.  'However, they are almost three times more likely to work with children compared to other men.' View this post on Instagram Sydney woman Mary Jam has questioned whether men should be allowed to work in childcare  It comes after Hamish Tait (pictured) was accused of abusing children across five childcare centres between 2009 and 2025  Some of Ms Jam's followers said in the comment section of her video that men should no longer be allowed to work in the sector. 'Men absolutely should not work in childcare, it is a risk that no service should be willing to take. Not at the expense of innocent children,' one user said. 'We have a responsibility to protect children, part of that is eliminating any risks.' Another said: 'I don't support men working in childcare, schools or working with young children.' A third added: 'I'd like to see men out of childcare but I doubt it will ever happen. Instead, I think we can work towards better safeguards, policing and recruitment processes. 'The government needs to improve maternity and paternity leave and consider passing on rebates to [families] to reduce reliance on childcare.' But others said the idea was 'ridiculous' and argued it was important for young boys to have strong male role models.  'I've worked in childcare for years and my female coworkers always mention how glad they are to finally have male coworkers. They say the children act differently when I'm around,' one user said. Some of Ms Jam's followers said men should no longer be allowed to work in early childhood education (file image) Childcare worker Joshua Dale Brown has pleaded not guilty to more than 150 child abuse-related charges  'The problems of abuse are largely systemic, not simply because men are violent.' Another commenter added: 'Given that women working in childcare also abuse children, it makes more sense to have proper safeguarding procedures in place, like not having any adult be alone with a child whether they're men or women.' Ms Jam's video comes a year after 1,200 children in Victoria were told to undergo infectious disease testing after childcare worker Joshua Brown was charged over the alleged sexual abuse of babies. Brown, 27, formally entered pleas of not guilty while appearing in Melbourne Magistrates Court in May. The case continues. Former WA child sexual abuse detective Kristi McVee spoke to the Daily Mail in May about why parents need to be vigilant amid a rise in abuse allegations. She said offenders often embed themselves in family life, posing as friends, mentors or trusted community members to gain access to children. 'These type of cases are extreme because there are hundreds of kids involved. One of the things that bothers me is of course they [alleged offenders] work in these places,' she said. 'These people are going into these spaces because they know they'll be trusted.' Ms McVee, whose 10 years with WA Police involved interviewing children, arresting offenders and managing sex offenders after their release from prison, said she learned that child sex offenders are 'super sneaky.' 'Perpetrators are super sneaky and manipulative, we had a saying - only the dumb ones get caught,' she said. 'Most of the time, you'd never actually get enough evidence to be able to charge them. Unless there's video evidence, a child's disclosure was necessary. 'Sometimes we were dealing with children who didn't even know they were being abused, or weren't ready to speak to the police. It was very frustrating and very heartbreaking.' Help is available. Those needing free and confidential support can call: Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.