Sydney childcare worker accused of sexually abusing more than 150 children

VolkAI July 13, 2026 Leave a Comment Imported News, Noticer News

A Sydney man has been charged with 329 child sex offences involving more than 150 children over a 16-year period, making him Australia’s worst alleged childcare paedophile.

Hamish Alexander Edward Tait, 35, was arrested in July last year but had his identity suppressed until Monday, when a Parramatta Local Court judge ruled in favour of police, prosecutors and media outlets who all opposed the year-long gag order.

Tait is accused of committing the offences, which include producing child abuse material, filming a person in a private act, and sexual touching, between 2009 and 2025 at four childcare centres and his own private business.

The Australian Federal Police said they had identified 136 alleged victims from 121 families, some now overseas, and were seeking to identify 22 more children allegedly abused by Tait, who worked at a large franchise called Fit Kidz and had his own business, Wild Earthlings.

In 2024 Wild Earthlings was promoted as a “bush kindy service aimed at reconnecting children to the natural world” by a Fit Kidz centre in Dural South, and photographs from the business show him playing the didgeridoo and interacting with children in the bush.

Hamish Tait being arrested in 2025.

He was unmasked on Monday after having his identity kept secret for a year. pic.twitter.com/N4prRUbFXz

— The Noticer (@NoticerNews) July 13, 2026

Investigators started Operation Moonbi in June 2025 following a report from the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) about a person uploading a file depicting child abuse online, and linked Tait to the alleged online activity.

They searched Tait’s home in Glossodia, in Sydney’s northwest, and seized electronic devices allegedly containing 2.4 million files and a large volume of child abuse material.

Tait has been behind bars since his arrest in July 2025, and has made no application for bail.

His identity was originally kept suppressed by the AFP so they could contact the families of alleged victims and protect the integrity of the investigation.

Last month the AFP attempted to go public last month in order to identify the remaining 22 children, but Tait’s legal team managed to extend the non-publication order by two weeks, arguing he was at risk of self-harm and violence in prison, and the order was needed to protect the “mental safety” of his family.

On Monday Judge Stuart Devine lifted the order, saying he was “not convinced” identifying Tait would prejudice a jury, and agreeing police needed to identify his workplaces publicly as part of the ongoing investigation, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

“In this case the applicant’s evidence has not persuaded me,” Judge Devine said.

“I do not accept publication of the accused[’s] name and workplaces will cause incurable prejudice … to the contrary I find a [non-publication order] would frustrate attempts of the Australian Federal Police.”

AFP Acting Commander Luke Needham said the alleged victims and their families had been contacted by the AFP and given access to tailored support.

“The AFP has been in contact with 121 families, based around Australia and internationally, who we have positively identified their child as being depicted in child abuse material,” he said.

“As a result of our comprehensive investigation and extensive victim identification process, we allege this matter currently involves 136 victims. Any form of child sexual abuse is confronting and horrific, even more so when the alleged perpetrator is an individual trusted with the care of our youth.

“Operation Moonbi has spanned 12 months and involved the analysis of 2.4 million electronic files, 12 search warrants and countless hours trying to uncover the scale of the man’s alleged offending.”

Tait worked at worked at or attended 62 early childhood education facilities, predominantly in Sydney’s north-west, which are listed below: