Arabic version: رفع أمر محكمة بينما توسع الشرطة الاتحادية الأسترالية تحقيقها في إساءة معاملة الأطفال في دور الرعاية
Hamish Tait, a Sydney childcare worker, faces 329 charges alleging abuse of 136 children over a 16-year period. A court order protecting his identity was lifted on Monday, revealing he was the man arrested by the Australian Federal Police in July last year, and he has been in custody since his arrest.
According to ABC News, the AFP has expanded its federal investigation to include a small government preschool in a remote South Australian Indigenous community where Mr Tait worked in a voluntary capacity in the mid-2010s. His New South Wales charges include 162 counts of producing child abuse material, 81 counts of filming a person engaged in a private act without consent and 24 counts of using a child under 14 years for the production of child abuse material.
Police say Mr Tait either worked at or attended 62 childcare centres during his career, and under Operation Moonbi they have published a list of 55 centres where he was present between 2009 and 2025, predominantly in Sydney’s north-west. The ABC reports several centres have since been removed from that public list after detectives confirmed he had no access to children during brief visits. The AFP has told media that all current charges relate to alleged offending in New South Wales and that he has not been charged with any offences in South Australia.
Investigators say they have been in contact with 121 families in Australia and overseas, and that 22 victims remain yet to be identified. The AFP told reporters it believes Mr Tait shared child abuse material with an individual overseas on at least three occasions and that inquiries are ongoing as investigators attempt to identify that overseas individual. The South Australian Department for Education has said it is aware of the matter and that the investigation is ongoing. A dedicated local contact point has also been established for families who believe they may be impacted, to access health professionals and counsellors.
What happens next: the AFP investigation is continuing while investigators attempt to identify the overseas individual, and the matter remains before the courts in New South Wales.
Related sections: General | Australia/استراليا | New South Wales | South Australia | Social/إجتماعية
