The video, obtained by the ABC’s 7.30, was filmed at an Affinity Education centre in the inner western Sydney suburb of South Strathfield.
The nine second-long video, shot in May 2023, was filmed by another colleague and is just one incident among hundreds uncovered in newly released public documents.
The broadcaster looked into Affinity Education – which runs 250 childcare centres across the country – after NSW Greens MP Abigail Boyd petitioned the state’s childcare regulator to release a tranche of industry regulatory paperwork.
One former Affinity employee said cost cutting at her workplace had reduced the staff-to-child ratios to concerning levels and ‘led to serious incidents in the centre.’
The former staff member said young, untrained workers were being hired because they were more affordable than experienced educators with years of solid references. She said the video was a symptom of that broader issue.
