Childcare worker sentenced after CCTV shows repeated assaults on infants in remote Queensland centre
Edwina Ling was convicted of 80 assaults, including 55 against a 13-month-old, after CCTV footage from a Far North Queensland childcare centre was released.
Video evidence from the Injinoo childcare centre on Cape York shows educator Edwina Ling repeatedly abusing a 13-month-old boy, delivering 55 of the 80 recorded assaults over a three-day period in late August and early September 2024. Former employee Lena Baragud described Ling's aggressive handling of children and bullying of staff, while director Brancis Tamwoy-Mookaa noted red marks on the infant after Ling refused to feed him.
Ling, who lacked formal childcare qualifications, was sentenced in June to four years in prison, with parole possible after one year. The incident exposed shortcomings in the oversight of remote services that fall outside the National Quality Framework, prompting calls for broader regulatory reform. Parents of the victim say they have not received the regulator’s internal report and continue to seek answers. The case underscores the need for consistent standards and monitoring across all Australian childcare providers.
Why it matters
The abuse reveals serious oversight failures in remote childcare services, risking vulnerable children nationwide.
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