Childcare Worker's 'Monstrous' Assaults on Kids Captured on CCTV
A childcare worker's shocking physical abuse of three young boys at a remote childcare centre in Far North Queensland has been captured on CCTV footage. Edwina Ling, who has been described as a "monster" by a former educator, was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to 80 counts of common assault and two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm.
The abuse, which took place over three days in late August and early September 2024, was captured on camera and shows Ling slapping, kicking, and throwing the children around like a rag doll. The 13-month-old victim was subjected to 55 of the assaults, including being grabbed by the head and neck. The footage has been obtained by Four Corners as part of an investigation into child safety in childcare across Australia.
The childcare centre, Injinoo, was regulated under a separate Queensland law, which meant that it fell outside the National Quality Framework (NQF). This allowed the centre to operate with fewer safeguards, including requirements around supervising sleeping children and checks to ensure no child was left behind on a bus.
The parents of the 13-month-old victim, who cannot be identified due to laws protecting the child, want the public to see the footage in the hope it will bring about reforms. "We need to talk about it. We need to have that conversation, otherwise it's gonna keep happening," the boy's father says.
The incident has highlighted the need for greater scrutiny of childcare providers and regulators. Federal Early Childhood Education Minister Jess Walsh has revealed that education ministers have agreed to bring some of the 473 centres outside the National Quality Framework into the national system. State Governments plan to bring 142 centres into the national system.
The case has also raised concerns about the lack of transparency and accountability in the childcare sector. The parents of the victim have never been given the Queensland regulator's internal report or full findings into what happened, despite repeated requests.
