Childcare centre fined for losing one-year-old on bush excursion

A Redland childcare centre that lost a child in the bush while on an excursion in late 2024 has been fined $15,000 by Queensland’s early childhood regulatory agency.

Alex Hills Early Education, on Windemere Road in Alexandra Hills, took the 23-month-old toddler off the centre’s grounds as part of a pre-arranged “bush excursion” on September 25, a Brisbane court heard.

The toddler slipped away from the group and was wandering unsupervised in bushland for 23 minutes.

A passer-by discovered the child, and returned them to the centre’s care.

The Early Childhood Regulatory Authority said the centre had failed on two counts – it had not properly supervised children in its care, and it failed to protect them from harm or hazard.

The company that owned the centre, GA Holdings, pleaded guilty to the charges.

Magistrate Michael Holohan found Alex Hills Early Education had provided a risk assessment for the excursion that was insufficient, and did not cover all possible scenarios.

Holohan said risk assessments should be so robust that no child is placed at risk of harm.

He issued a fine of $15,000 to the centre and ordered the company to pay $1750 in legal costs to the regulator, but did not record a conviction.

A statement from the Education Department – which oversees the regulator – said the fine reflected the fact the child could have been seriously injured or died while left unsupervised outside the centre.

“If steps taken by an approved provider to ensure children’s health and safety are inadequate, the regulatory authority will not hesitate to take appropriate action,” the departmental statement read.