Melbourne childcare centre charged over children wandering into lifts
Woodlands St Kilda childcare centre has been charged with 15 offences after children wandered unsupervised.
A young child rode a goods lift from the childcare centre down several floors to the building's loading dock, then walked out onto St Kilda Road, a busy four-lane tram, bicycle and car thoroughfare. A worker from another business in the building found the child and brought them back.
In a separate incident, another child entered a lift unsupervised from the rooftop playground and was found by administrative staff of Woodlands. A third child became trapped in a male bathroom for 30 minutes after wandering in unobserved.
The centre, on three upper levels of a 13-storey building in Melbourne's CBD, is licensed for 140 children. If found guilty on all counts, Woodlands St Kilda faces a maximum penalty of up to $1.4 million.
- 15 offences
- Charges filed
- 140
- Children licensed for
- 3 of 13 storeys
- Building levels occupied
- 1.4 million dollars
- Maximum penalty
Why it mattersThe charges reveal critical safety failures at a facility caring for very young children in a multi-storey building with lift and rooftop hazards.
AustraliaThe case affects Melbourne families and raises questions about childcare supervision standards and safety checks at similar facilities across Australia.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 3 h ago
