Radio host Kyle Sandilands has called for the death penalty to be introduced in Australia for paedophiles, after a Queensland childcare worker was found guilty of sexually assaulting 73 children. Speaking to comedian Isaac Butterfield on his show, Sandilands said he would personally kill offenders, describing the fear that grips parents whenever another abuse case involving a male childcare worker emerges. The remarks reignited debate about safety in the childcare sector and whether men should continue working in it.

Butterfield said he would trust a woman over a man in a daycare setting, while a Sydney woman cited a University of New South Wales study finding that although men make up a small proportion of childcare workers, they are responsible for the majority of child sexual abuse cases in the sector, with one in 20 Australian men reporting sexual interest in and offending against children. The discussion followed the high-profile case of Ashley Paul Griffith, who pleaded guilty in 2024 to more than 300 charges, including rape and sexual assault, and was jailed for life with a 27-year non-parole period. However, many parents pushed back on social media, defending male educators as valuable and warning against tarring the profession with the actions of a minority.