Hunting Ground

Hunting Ground revealed that seven months after the Gold Walkley-winning Betrayal of Trust investigation, Australia's childcare crisis had not improved — it had deepened. The investigation documented predators moving between childcare centres undetected, inadequate background checks, and regulatory failures that had persisted despite public outcry and government promises of reform.

Hunting Ground is the direct follow-up to Betrayal of Trust, which aired in March 2025 and won the Gold Walkley Award. While Betrayal of Trust first exposed systemic failures in Australia's childcare sector, Hunting Ground — broadcast in October 2025 — revealed that the promised reforms had not materialised and the crisis had worsened.

The investigation found that background check requirements were inconsistent across states and territories, mandatory reporting obligations were not being consistently applied, and there was no national register of workers found to have engaged in misconduct. This allowed individuals with prior records to gain employment at new centres in different jurisdictions.

Multiple state and federal governments announced emergency reviews of childcare regulatory frameworks following the broadcast. Parliamentary debate intensified around the adequacy of the National Quality Framework, and renewed pressure mounted on the federal government to establish a national childcare worker register.

Hunting Ground was broadcast on ABC Four Corners on 27 October 2025, reported by Adele Ferguson. It was accompanied by an ABC News Daily podcast episode titled "How childcare became a hunting ground."

A national register of childcare workers found guilty of misconduct would allow employers across all states and territories to check whether a prospective employee has a history of abuse or misconduct. Both Betrayal of Trust and Hunting Ground called for such a register — it had been recommended after the first investigation but had not been implemented by the time Hunting Ground aired.